Teamwork
by Mustard Lady
Summary: Several women atrociously murdered and a phantom killer on the run. Always leaves the same clues behind but nothing concrete to who he is. Our favorite FBI team from DC is called in to help since there have been similar murders in DC. Can Mark, Steve, Jack, Sue and the others solve the case together before more victims emerge? What'll they do when Lucy and Sue both go missing! J/S
1. Chapter 1 Not Again!

**Hello, everybody! I'm so excited to be posting this! I can't tell you how much. This is my very second crossover fanfic ever, and it comes from two of my favorite shows, Diagnosis Murder and Sue Thomas FBEye! For years we made up stories and imagined what it would be like if the characters from both great programs got together, and I'm excited to try and getting it going on this website.**

 **Okay, just to let my followers know, I have not at all forgotten about my other stories. I'm really, really trying to finish up in my mind chapter 3 of my Toy Story fanfic Light the Night with Love so that I can post it soon and you guys can read it. I'm sorry it's taking so long, but I AM trying.**

 **I don't own Diagnosis Murder or Sue Thomas FBEye. Normally, I really like to have my stories all planned out and written, then edit them and post them. With this one, that isn't the case, but how I wish it was! I've been brainstorming for ideas and God finally gave me one that started building up and it felt like a good story plot. Oh, by the way, I do have new ideas coming to mind for some Diagnosis Murder fanfiction that I'm working on and hoping to post along the way, with my other fanfics.**

 **Anyway, if you have never seen Sue Thomas FBEye, I'm here to tell you: watch it! It's great, family-friendly, action, just wonderful and based on a true story. We don't just like, we love the characters from DM. I want to do a good job on this and hope you enjoy. Reviews are definitely welcome. Sgt. Barnes and Corporal Jeffers along with any other names not mentioned on the shows belong to me. I hope Jack/Sue fans enjoy this one a lot. LOTS of Jack/Sue shots, mentions Bobby/Darcy, hints at Bobby/Tara.**

* * *

Steve Sloan's phone beeped, disturbing his heavy, much desired sleep. In his sleep-fogged mind, he thought maybe it was the alarm clock next to his bed. But the beeping didn't stop, then he was instantly awake when he realized it was his phone. He grunted and rolled over, picking it up to answer it. It was never a good thing when he got a call this late. He glanced at the clock: 2:11 A.M. "Sloan here." Steve groaned.

"Sloan, we're here at Margaret Tingler's house." Sgt. Barnes spoke on the other end.

"You mean the morning sketch and paint show host?" Steve sputtered.

"Yeah. She's dead." Barnes said dryly.

"What?!" Steve gasped, quickly shifting his feet off the bed onto the floor. "What have you got?"

"Another brutal mauling." Barnes replied. Steve gritted his teeth in anger and clenched his phone, shaking his head.

"Okay." Steve sighed. "I'll be over in fifteen."

"Over and out."

Steve had decided to let his dad sleep this time. He was filled with contempt as he drove to the crime scene. He hadn't slept properly for two weeks. He'd been really hoping that this night would be a nice, quiet, restful one at home, but no. How many times had he done this in the passed how many days? He was not looking forward to the task that lay ahead of him.

Steve was in the doctor's lounge at Community General Hospital, pouring himself another cup of coffee. He was waiting for Amanda to come back with her autopsy report on Margaret Tingler. "Hey! Hi there." A cheery, familiar voice greeted behind him. Steve sighed and turned around to see his best friend, doctor Jessie Travis trot pleasantly into the lounge. "Funny meeting _you_ in here at the crack of dawn." Jessie grinned, and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"What's up?"

"Another mauled body." Steve muttered, staring at his friend.

"Oh no," Jessie gasped, his shoulders sagging. "Who was it this time?"

"Margaret Tingler."

"What?!" Jessie's jaw dropped. "No way! No. That's despicable. I can't wait to see the mug who killed her behind bars!" Jessie seethed.

"Oh! Hi, Steve." Mark smiled behind him as he entered. Steve turned to face his dad. "What are you doing here? Morning, Jessie."

"Dad?" Steve began somberly. "Margaret Tingler was murdered last night." Mark gaped in horror.

"Another mauling." Jessie snarled.

"Oh no." Mark winced, shaking his head. "Ugh-mph! I take it you're waiting for Amanda?"

"Yep." Steve nodded solemnly. 15 minutes later, Amanda arrived, frowning. "Well?" Steve asked.

"Same as Regina Swenson, Gabby Henner, Diana Lowe, Aline Dicker, April Jennings, and Samantha Grover." Amanda groaned. "A slip of chloroform in a glass of champagne, then heavily blown injuries after death."

"This slime business has got to stop!" Jessie growled. "Whoever chose to kill these women is a dirty fiend, and I'd be happy to see him get what he deserves."

"You're right, Jess. But we just don't have any idea who the murderer is." Steve said. "Which makes it very difficult in knowing what to look for to track him."

"Well, one thing's for sure, we've got to find him, whoever he is and flush him out before he targets someone else." Mark said firmly.

"Yeah." Steve muttered. "That's what I said 12 days ago."

In the passed two weeks, six women of different ranks in LA had been found at their work places of their own homes murdered. Their bodies were mangled badly, with gashes and horrible bruises. Thanks to autopsies though, it was revealed that they didn't die from the brutal injuries forced on them, but a dose of chloroform slipped into their evening glasses of champagne. Amanda had found that they were first poisoned, then after they died, for some dark reason, their killer bashed and battered their bodies then left them at the scene of his crime. And there were never a stranger's fingerprints on the champagne glasses, only the victims'. With the previous 3 victims before Margaret Tingler, they had been reported missing. And then had ended up dead. Steve's homicide squad had been working time and overtime, trying to follow leads and track down the monstrous serial killer. The only consistent clue that the killer always left behind was a fake black rose with a note that read: _"Are you sorry yet?"_

With no specific suspects, it was difficult to try and dig into the killer's background.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Steve asked as he entered his superior's office.

"Yes, have a seat, Lt. Sloan." Chief Masters offered as he pulled a file out of the cabinet. Then he sat down himself and placed the file on his desk. "Sloan, have you been able to come up with _anything_ new that might be able to help us find this monster?" The chief asked in exasperation.

Steve sighed. "Not much. We finally did manage to pick up on one tip that might help."

"That's better than nothing." Masters said.

"Yeah. Forensics have revealed dark hair at each crime scene, which could match the hair of our killer. We've gone through the victims' photo albums, and talked to their friends and relatives who might be able to shed some light on who this dark-haired person could be, but so far no leads."

"There's gotta be at least over 70,000 people in LA with dark hair." Masters muttered.

"Well, that sure narrows it down." Steve said sarcastically.

"Sloan, we got a call about an hour ago. Another female has gone missing." Masters groaned. Steve pursed his lips in fury and pounded a clenched fist on his chair arm.

"Blast!" He huffed.

"Our killer's beginning to form a new pattern, and we've got to put an end to it."

"Sir, we can't handle this by ourselves." Steve said angrily.

"You're right, Sloan. We can't. That's why I've requested some special help from the F.B.I. They should be arriving in two days."

"What do you mean by arriving?" Steve sputtered in confusion. "Where are they coming from?"

"Washington D.C." Masters replied.

"D.C.?" Steve sputtered again. "Can't the LA bureau handle the case?"

"Sloan, the agents who were on it are unavailable now." Masters explained. "Agent Jones is having heart surgery this week and will be on bed rest for a long time. Agent Marcus is in the Bahamas on a two week vacation, which he had been granted before they started the case. Agent Mills has been assigned out of the country for over a week, and he's in an isolated area with no phone signal. And Agent Miller has been suspended for misconduct. It's difficult to push yourself on a case with no real suspects on the radar."

"Nice to know you've got friends, isn't it?" Steve muttered sarcastically. "But why from Washington?"

"There was a rash of similar killings that started in and around Virginia a month ago." Masters explained. "And now I hear that three women in the DC area have been murdered with the exact same method we've been finding here."

"The _exact same?"_ Steve's eyes widened.

"Exact same. Rose, note, glasses, _everything._ " Masters nodded. "The task force team on the case in DC are pretty sure they know who the killer is, but they haven't been able to nail him yet. And when the reports reached them of the murders here, they were immediately assigned to help us with the case after I put in a requisition." Steve leaned back in his chair and felt a wave of relief and finally...hope.

"First good news I've heard all case!" He exclaimed happily.


	2. Chapter 2 Ticket To LA!

Myles Leland and Bobby Manning stepped into the bullpen, preparing for their long day in the office, investigating the Rose Man Murders that had been taking place. Myles stumbled forward and nearly fell over. "Ah!" He hollered, trying to get his footing back.

There was a loud, _"ARF! ARF! ARROO!"_ as Levi yelped and scrambled to his feet away from Tara's desk.

"Hey!" Myles growled. "Watch it, you four-footed beggar."

"Myles!" Tara and Lucy both scolded him. "What happened, did you step on him?" Lucy asked.

"It wasn't my fault." Myles said back defensively. "How was I supposed to know he was laying there, blocking people's paths, and making himself a road block for his own comfort?"

"I don't think he did it for comfort, mate." Bobby shook his head.

"Even so, he should learn some manners on respect for pedestrians."

"You okay, mate?" Bobby asked Levi. The dog panted happily. Myles earned himself several cold stares.

"What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Ahem." Lucy grunted. Levi crouched to the floor and covered his nose with his paw. "Aw. I think you really did it this time in hurting his feelings."

"Honestly, he's just a do..." Myles huffed then sighed when Levi kept groaning. He sighed heavily. "Okay, I'm sorry, Levi." The golden dog jumped to his feet and barked. "Well, at least he's a faithful disciple of 'forgive and forget'."

"Unlike some I could name." Lucy muttered.

"He was probably watching me." Tara said casually and went back to her computer, putting another bite of her snack into her mouth.

" _What_ is that?" Myles asked in great annoyance.

"What?" Tara asked innocently.

" _What_ kind of aged slab of leather are you placing into the palette that you are supposed to guard with care and caution?" Myles lectured.

"I don't think that's leather, mate." Bobby grinned. "It smells more like...hmm. Beef jerky." Tara nodded, grinning and continued to gnaw on her delicacy.

" _That_ is positively undignified, smelly, and most unbecoming to a high-class female such as yourself." Myles said in his know-it-all tone.

"I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment." Tara said really fast.

"I'd say it was a complimentary insult." Bobby chuckled. Myles gaped and rolled his eyes at Bobby.

" _You_ are the classic definition...of an oxymoron." Myles said passionately and walked away to his desk. Bobby and Tara chuckled. Sue hadn't noticed any of the whole scenario, as her back had been turned towards them.

"Listen up, everybody!" Dimitrius Ganz announced as he entered. Levi touched Sue's leg to signal her to D's attention and turned. "Look who I found out in the hall. I'd like you all to officially welcome back to the team..." A very tall, very large, bald, dark-skinned man appeared behind Dimitrius.

"Garrett!" Jack sputtered in delight. The agents all rose from their seats to greet their formerly absent supervisor. "When did you get back?"

"Just last night." Ted Garrett smiled, shaking Jack's hand.

"Hey, hey, Mr. Big! Good to see you around again!" Bobby cheered.

"We've missed you." Tara smiled.

" _Well,_ I'm certainly glad to hear that." Ted raised his eyebrows.

"It's good to have you back." Sue said. Levi barked excitedly and sat up pretty.

"Very touching, Thomas." Ted smirked.

"Aw, Levi misses all the good people I know." Sue chuckled.

"We could certainly use some professional guidance and leadership around here." Myles said smugly. Dimitrius grinned, shaking his head and just waved Myles off.

"So, how long can you stay?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"Actually, I'm back." Ted answered. "I decided that the team needed me, and that I'd been absent long enough."

"That's great!" Sue cheered.

"Yeah, we could use your skills here again, no offense, D." Jack said. Dimitrius smiled and just shook his head.

"Sorry to break up the party," Ted said in his professional tone, which grabbed everyone's attention, "but you all need to pack your bags." They all gaped and glanced at each other.

"What? Did we do something?" Jack asked.

"I'm thinking it's a little early to be considering retirement." Bobby added.

"The entire task force has an all expenses paid flight to Los Angeles...tonight!" Ted answered.

"Tonight?" Lucy sputtered. "Whoa. That was fast!"

"Did you say Los Angeles?" Sue asked, trying to make sure she'd read his lips correctly. Ted nodded. "What's going on?"

"Sorry to disappoint you all, but you're not getting fired or transferred." He said.

"I'm sensing a but." Dimitrius said.

"Dimitrius tells me that you think you know who might be the killer responsible for the Rose Man Murders I've been hearing about."

"Yeah. We do." Jack replied. "Jeff White. Multiple witness have reported sighting him near the crime scenes the day after the murders. He's an ex-con from Detroit. Espousal abuse, grand theft, kidnapping, and assaults. We suspect he's into using poisons as part of his career."

"Yeah, we've been trailing him for a while, but never got close enough to nab him." Bobby added.

"You sure this is the guy murdering these defenseless women?" Ted asked firmly.

"Yes. The forensics from the lab have matched the dark hairs from the crime scenes to Jeff White." Sue answered. "They say the match is irrefutable."

"But he keeps slipping just out of our reach, enough to to keep us searching." Dimitrius added. "There's no doubt in my mind, this is the guy."

"He was also tried once for the attempted murder of his childhood sweetheart." Tara spoke up. "They'd been going together for years, and then one night, he found her drinking champagne with another man, and she called off the relationship. Friends said he was different after that, and definitely not a guy you'd want to meet in a dark alley. The woman was later hospitalized after drinking a glass of champagne with a slip of chloroform in it. All evidence pointed to White, but was never actually proven. So, the court let him go, based on lack of evidence."

"I got a call this morning from the bureau in Los Angeles." Ted explained. "In the past two weeks, there have been six murders committed, all women, and all patterned the same way after the Rose Man Murders you all have been working on."

"Really?" Myles asked, crossing his arms.

"Six women found murdered: three of them go missing, all died from a slip of chloroform in her glass of champagne, then beaten, then a black rose on the floor next to them with a note, " _Are you sorry yet?"_ And the only prints on the glasses are from the victims."

Bobby whistled. "So, you're saying that White is in LA?"

"Unless it's a copy cat." Myles answered.

"And another woman was reported missing this morning from the LAPD." Ted said. "The LA bureau's agents working on the case are all currently out of commission, and the LAPD has been scouring around trying to find the killer and looking for leads, but they don't even know his identity. When I heard about their predicament, and, with all the evidence and facts this team has, I offered your services to the law enforcement there."

"Of course." Jack nodded, wide-eyed.

"So, everyone leaves now." Ted ordered. "Your flight is as 6:18 P.M. I want everyone there, sharp. And don't come back until you've thwarted this guy! Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." Everyone nodded.

"Good. Keep me posted. Now git. Oh, and uh...let me know who you meet and how the weather is down there." He chuckled.

"Sounds like the kind of thing you read about and watch but it never actually happens." Sue remarked to Jack as they walked out together.

"Until now." Jack stated lowly.


	3. Chapter 3 A Possible New Lead!

Steve shook his head as he leaned back in his desk chair at the station. He was going over the notes he'd taken from witnesses at the murder scenes. There had to be _something_ in there that he and the other officers had overlooked! He'd read and reread the witnesses' statements a dozen times. "Come on!" He grunted to himself. Nothing jumping out to him, he slammed his palm on the desk and decided that he needed to talk to his dad. Maybe Mark could find something he hadn't. "Where are you going?" Detective Cheryl Banks asked him.

"Community General." Steve replied. "Thought it might help clear my head. I was gonna go over the news footage again with my dad. Maybe he can help. Ya wanna come with me?"

"Why not." Cheryl grinned.

* * *

Mark had just sat down to get a breather. This whole morning had been crazy! He'd helped Jessie all morning in the ER tending casualties from a school bus accident. Several children had been injured with fractures and wounds, plus 4 other patients that had been caught up in the collision. It was only 11:30 A.M. and they already had 12 admissions into the hospital. Mark sighed heavily as he collapsed into a chair in the doctor's lounge and threw his head back. Jessie then entered the lounge too and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. Just wanting a pick-me-up, he forgot to blow on it and took a huge gulp!

"Yyyahhhh!" Jessie yelped with his mouth wide open. "Ah, ah, ah!" He impatiently stomped his foot, pounding out his frustration and wildly waving his arm.

"Jess? What..." Mark spoke up.

"Ah, ah, I...yah! I...I...I burnt my tongue! Yowww! Ooo, ooo, ah...man, it hurts." Jessie squeezed his eyes shut, wincing and shaking his head. "Mph! I...I _cannot..._ believe I did that." He let his jaw hang wide open and dropped down into one of the chairs.

"I don't think I'd do that again if I were you, Jess," Mark shook his head. "I've heard that it can hurt."

"Oh, ho, ho," Jessie half-snickered, half-moaned. "You're funny, aren't ya? Well, listen. This is one time where I'd rather not hear your advice." Then he shook his head again with his mouth wide open.

"Why don't you get a glass of water?" Mark suggested.

"I can't reach it." Jessie said pitifully. Mark chuckled and walked out of the lounge to get one, leaving Jessie alone, panting. Amanda stepped in.

"What's the matter with you?" She asked, grabbing a cup of coffee.

"I just got scalded." Jessie whimpered. Amanda noticed the way his tongue was hanging out and grinned.

"Would you like a glass of water?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm. Jessie just sat there. "Oh, hey, Steve! Hi, Cheryl." Amanda greeted.

"Hey." Steve responded as he stepped.

"Doctor Livingston." Cheryl nodded and took a seat.

"What's the matter with you, Jess?" Steve stared at his friend curiously.

"Oh, just a little touch of the friendly caffeine." Amanda smirked. _"He drank it straight without blowing."_ She whispered.

"You know, Jess, uh, that's not a smart thing to do." Steve chuckled. "I've heard it can be painful." Jessie rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. I've heard that too." He muttered sarcastically.

"Why don't you try a glass of water?" Cheryl added. Jessie glared, with his mouth still open. Mark returned.

"Oh, hey, Steve. Cheryl?" He smiled. "There you go, Jess." He handed his young friend a plastic cup of water.

"Thanks," Jessie sighed.

"So, what brings you over here, guys?" Mark asked.

"Dad, I thought we could go over the press videos again at the scenes of the crimes." Steve spoke up. "I was hoping you might pick up on something we overlooked."

"Well, let's see." Mark agreed, placing on his glasses. "Pop it in." Cheryl placed the VHS into the VCR and they all watched the press conferences taken at the scenes of the crimes the morning after each murder. They replayed several tapes over and over again. For thirty-five minutes, they all sat there, trying to detect _something._

"Man, I don't know about you guys, but it looks to me like it's just the same old thing." Jessie shook his head.

"Yeah." Amanda sighed. "Same reporters, same kind of crime, just a different victim and location." Mark huffed, leaning back on the sofa when he suddenly leaned forward, staring intently at the television. He gaped and his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Wait a minute..." He said.

"What? What is it?" Jessie and Amanda asked together.

"You got something, Dr. Sloan?" Cheryl inquired.

"Dad, what? Did you find something?" Steve asked anxiously.

"Not something, _someone!"_ Mark announced. "Amanda, hand me the third tape." They re-watched it. "Uh-huh." Mark nodded, gritting his teeth. "Okay, now the fifth one." Repeat scenario. "M mm-hmmm." Mark smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think I just saw our killer!"

"Are you sure?" Amanda asked.

"What makes you say that, Dad?" Steve asked.

"Here, let me play it back." Mark explained, fiddling with the remote control. Then he paused it. "Uh-huh. Right there!"

"What are you trying to say, Dr. Sloan?" Cheryl spoke up.

"Everyone, take a good look in the left hand corner of the screen." Mark pointed put. "See right there?" The screen showed a random, tall, dark-haired man with a goatee standing away from the crowd. He was dressed in a simple green hoodie jacket and khaki pants.

"All I see is a guy shuffling his feet on the lawn," Jessie remarked.

"And listening to the conversation." Cheryl added.

"Dad, what does this prove?" Steve asked.

"Apparently, you people haven't been playing close attention." Mark smirked. "Here, give me the fourth tape again." Cheryl sighed and complied. "Okay here. Look, look, look: right there!" Mark pointed to the TV screen. In the right hand corner was a tall, dark-haired man standing away from the crowd, but trying to hear the reporters' conversation.

"Definitely looks like the same guy." Amanda remarked.

"Yeah, and he shows up at every press conference." Jessie added.

"The day _after_ each murder." Steve concluded.

" _Very_ interesting." Cheryl nodded.

"Coincidence?" Mark raised his eyebrows. "I think _not!"_

"Dr. Sloan, with all due respect, this isn't proof...yet." Cheryl stated.

"She's right, Dad." Steve said.

"Just the same, it couldn't hurt to get some blow up snapshots of this guy and ask around if any of the neighbors know anything about him." Mark smiled.

"I think Mark's right." Amanda agreed.

"Right now, I'll listen to any hunch you've got available." Steve said, rising to his feet.

"We can have Captain Newman wire the pics to the D.C. bureau and see if they can give us any feedback on this fellow." Cheryl spoke up.

"But if this stranger _is_ our serial killer, why would he hang around a press conference discussing something he knows he did already?" Jessie asked.

"Well, I don't think it's because he's been afflicted with amnesia." Steve said dryly.

"He could be trying to find out if they know anything about who he is." Amanda suggested.

"That's very possible." Mark agreed.

"Or he could be looking over the spectators, trying to choose his next victim." Cheryl said.

"Well, we're not accomplishing anything here, just speculating." Steve sighed. "I say we get back to work. Let's just hope the FBI will be able to really tell us who this guy is." Steve sighed.

" _If_ it's him at all." Amanda said. "I'll keep my fingers crossed."

"Yeah. Say, Steve? When are those agents supposed to arrive?" Mark asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Steve answered.

"Chief Masters and Captain Newman are supposed to meet them at the plane and escort them to the hotel." Cheryl stated.

"Well, let's hope these guys are as helpful as they came recommended." Steve groaned. "I'm not in the mood to play the 'all style, no substance' game."

"Cheryl, would the chief and the captain agree to have the agents meet with us at the location of our choice, so that we can get to know each other a little first?" Mark asked.

"I'm sure they would." Cheryl nodded.

"What did you have in mind, Dad?" Steve asked.

"Well, maybe we'll be able to work together with clearer minds if we meet in a less formal environment." Mark answered.

"Like BBQ Bob's?" Jessie suggested.

"That's exactly the place I had in mind!" Mark grinned widely at his young friend.

"Oh, I don't know, Dad." Steve smiled skeptically. Cheryl nudged him in the shoulder.

"We'll just let _them_ and our big boys make that decision." She chided. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

"All right, all right." Steve sighed. "Let's go." He turned at the door and glanced suspiciously at Jessie. "Oh, and, uh, Dad? Try to make sure to keep the fresh coffee away from Jessie. We don't want him to send our incoming partners here to the hospital and stick them with medical bills. They might get the wrong impression." Steve teased. Jessie glared at him.

"Oh, you're _so_ funny, Steve." He groaned.

"Aren't I?" Steve grinned smugly and walked out with Cheryl.

"I'll get him for that, and _double_ if he mentions this to those feds!" Jessie huffed. Mark and Amanda glanced at each other chuckling.

"I hope you're right on this, Mark." Amanda said seriously.

"Oh, so do I!" Mark exclaimed, shaking his head.


	4. Chapter 4 On the Way!

**This is kind of spur of the moment, but I hope it suffices. I totally welcome reviews! They would be very helpful, especially since this is a crossover. Thank you to Snowgirl01 who has been asking me for more chapters. It's nice to know you're reading my story.**

* * *

"Hello? Oh, hey, Steve." Mark answered his phone.

"Well, Dad, we showed your mysterious John Doe around to the neighbors of the victims." Steve said. "None of them have ever seen him around before, no one's ever talked to him, much less know where he came from."

Mark frowned and scrunched up his nose. "Aah!" He gritted his teeth. "Well, we tried."

"Yeah." Steve muttered. "It _was_ a good hunch, Dad. And I _am_ very curious about what he's doing repeatedly hanging around the televises."

"Good idea. Any news yet from the FBI on those snapshots?"

"Not yet." Steve replied. "I really hope they can give us some answers and solid leads tomorrow when we meet with them."

"Oh, let's hope so!" Mark agreed.

"Sloan?" Sergeant Barnes grabbed Steve's attention.

"Uh, excuse me, Dad. Hold on a minute," Steve spoke into the phone, then held it from his ear. "What's up, Drew?"

"We need you over at Jasmine Sun Hotel, on 68th Street, over by the Winfield Park." Sgt. Barnes replied solemnly.

"What is it?" Steve asked uneasily.

"They found Missy Frazier." Barnes sighed.

Steve's eyes widened. _The woman who's been missing the passed two days,_ he thought dismally.

"She's dead." Barnes stated. "With the black rose and the note of regret."

Steve winced and grunted loudly. "Okay, I'll be right there." He sighed. Barnes walked away and Steve pulled the phone back to his ear. "Look, Dad. I've got to go."

"I heard, son." Mark replied solemnly. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

"Hey, take the snapshots with you."

"Good idea." Steve groaned. "I'll talk to you later, Dad."

"Okay."

* * *

As Amanda was walking back to the vehicles with the body bag and the orderlies, a band of folks with cameras, microphones, and notepads marched to him and his partners. Steve sighed heavily and shook his head. The press could be so pesky. "Lt. Sloan, is this killing related to the other female murders that have been happening? Are you any closer to finding the killer? Do you think anymore women may turn up missing?" The bombarding questions only annoyed Steve.

"First of all, this is a murder investigation," he spoke up. "We're doing our best to find the killer. We're expecting some expert assistance from the FBI, which should help us wrap up this case. As for if this homicide is associated with the others we've been finding, we won't know that until we get an autopsy. Now that's all I have to say." And he tried to walk away, but the reporters were at his heels 'til Captain Newman spoke up and diverted their attention. Steve walked over to Amanda to get some peace and quiet. He stood there with his hands on his hips.

"I think you answered their questions very well, without slipping anything you didn't want them to know." Amanda said encouragingly.

"It's just...this whole thing." Steve shook his head and rubbed his face. "It's an ugly mess, and it's got to be thwarted! Blast, if we just knew who the dirt bag was!" Amanda stared at him sympathetically and touched his arm.

"Look, Steve, I know you feel responsible, but this is not your fault." Amanda said softly. Steve gazed sadly into her eyes. "Hey, we've got well-trained agents willing to help on the way here, and hopefully they'll be able to help us identify this thug and stop him sooner than we all expect."

"Hopefully." Steve grunted. His experience with FBI agents had had rocky starts, and he greatly hoped that just once they'd throw aside any thoughts as blue flamers, and just get on the job, like he did. He wasn't going to stand for any nonsense or take any guff from the approaching agents arriving from the nation's capitol. He glanced back over towards the crowd when something caught his eye. He squinted intently at a subtle movement a couple yards away from the crowd, but nevertheless, close enough to hear.

"What is it, Steve?" Amanda asked, looking at him curiously.

"Excuse me. John Doe." Steve said and started to walk away, but Amanda trotted alongside him.

"What? Is it the guy?" She asked excitedly. "What are you gonna do?"

"Uh, Amanda. Look, why don't you go to the hospital and work your magic, and just let me do my job. Okay?" Steve grinned, trying to step closer.

"What? I don't get to go with you?" Amanda asked in disappointment, eagerness clear on her face.

"Look, Amanda. I've got work to do, and so do you. I'll let you know how it comes out." Steve said casually. Amanda frowned and pursed her lips then started to walk away.

"You know, I once thought things would be different," she said sarcastically as she stepped backwards, "but they're not. You're just like good old Jack Stewart! Pushing me aside, leaving me out of the fun, underestimating my abilities as a woman..." she continued to tease him and vent.

" _Good-bye,_ Amanda." Steve grinned smugly, and walked nonchalantly to the group of people gathering around Captain Newman. He shifted his eyes to the tall figure lingering nearby, shuffling his feet in the grass. Steve slightly slipped the photos out of his jacket, and glanced from them to the anonymous man he was intending to follow. _"It's him."_ Steve whispered in satisfaction. As soon as the reporters left, Newman walked over to Steve.

"I know it's ugly, Sloan." He sighed. "We need to get back to the station."

"You go ahead. I'll be along." Steve answered, keeping his eyes peeled on the fellow walking onto the sidewalk parallel with the hotel. "Excuse me." He started trotting after the guy.

"You onto something, Sloan?" Newman asked.

"I don't know yet!" Steve answered, heading back to his car but never letting his eyes peel away from that suspicious character.

* * *

Jessie and Mark glanced at Amanda as she walked up to them in the hallway. "Same cause of death, honey?" Mark asked.

Amanda nodded with a sigh as she handed him the folder. "Yes. A dash of chloroform in her champagne, and then a vicious beating after death."

"So, we can count this tied to those other murders." Jessie stated. "Seven victims now."

"Maybe Steve will have something on our mysterious John Doe." Mark said encouragingly.

"You know, I'm still upset he didn't let me go with him." Amanda crossed her arms. "It could've been a very interesting field trip."

"Yeah. Why is he always trying to cut us out of the fun stuff?" Jessie added.

"Don't worry, guys. He's done that to me too." Mark shrugged. Then his phone rang. "Well, guess who. Hello, son." He answered with the ear to his phone.

"Hey, Dad. I followed our John Doe over by the park." Steve replied.

"Oh, good! Did you find out where he lives?"

"No." Steve growled. "I got stuck at a red light and he got away. I looked around the area, but I lost him."

"Aw, at least you tried."

"Well, that doesn't help his next victim, _whoever_ she is. I've put out an APB on him, but so far nothing."

"All we can do is keep trying." Mark said wistfully.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

Sue stared thoughtfully outside the window of the airplane. The blue dawn was becoming pink and golden. This was the farthest West she'd ever traveled in the United States. Levi was sleeping on her feet. She glanced over to Lucy, who was snoozing with her head against the wall next to the window, her face cushioned with a blue pillow. "This is quite an excursion, huh, Levi?" Sue asked down to her dog. Levi just glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.

Sue glanced over at the seats across the aisle from them. Bobby was in the window seat, rubbing his eyes from sleepiness. Tara, however, was sitting up straight with her laptop perched on her legs. She was wearing earphones, and her capable, curious fingers were fiddling around on her keyboard. Sue grinned as she read the computer geek's lips. Tara was engrossed in a computer strategy game to pass the time 'til their plane landed, and she was talking to the screen. _"_ _No, you don't."_ Tara whispered. _"I've got you in my sights, pal. Nothing gets by us! Give it up. Sigh...okay, but you can't say I didn't warn you! You're going down. Ooo. Youch! That hurts. Ooo, so vicious. Gotcha, ha, ha. Gotcha again! Oh, no. You're so mean. There! Mission accomplished! You were saying? Want to try it again?"_ Sue chuckled at her friend.

Then Sue noticed Bobby staring up at the ceiling, and Levi lifted up his head, then a dear, familiar hand touched Sue's shoulder. She turned her head to see Jack leaning close to her. "We're landing in 5 minutes." He said. "Better get ready." Sue nodded.

"And you'd better get back in your seat." She grinned with wide eyes. "We wouldn't want our hosts to say that this agent can't stand on his own two feet." She teased. Jack pursed his lips.

"Contrary to what you've probably heard, _I_ don't suffer from jet lag." He whispered sarcastically, then took his seat beside Myles, which was behind Sue and Lucy.

"Hey, Princess Leia," Bobby nudged Tara's arm. Tara grunted and rolled her eyes.

"Ooof! You made me lose." She complained to the Aussie.

"We're about to land in the Valley of the Sun." Bobby replied. "So, you'll have to tell your animated opponents that they'll have to stand in line." Tara sighed and removed her earphones.

"Too bad." She said simply. "I was just about to earn an achievement award for upping my skills as a master participant." She closed her computer.

"Well, this will give you plenty of time to sharpen your no longer amateur tactics." Myles added. "No one is ever too good for improvement." The others all raised their eyebrows.

"Well said, Myles." Jack smirked, looking away from the smart alek. "Of course, I believe no one means everyone, so I guess we won't leave _you_ out of that category."

"After all, it's like you said." Dimitrius spoke up. " _No one_ is ever too good for improvement."

"Except in Myles' case, I'm not sure if too good even applies. He sounds to me more like he belongs in the not good enough class." Myles shook his head.

"Luce? Luce?" Sue gently shook her friend.

"Hmm? What? Did I miss any action?" Lucy asked, fluttering her eyes.

"We're about to land." Sue said. Lucy yawned and straightened her sitting position.

"Mmm. California at last." She said wistfully. "I've always wanted to come here in person. I wonder if we'll run into Adam Kinsey again."

"Ahem. Ahem." Jack grunted behind them.

" _Please,_ let's not make this mission an epic disaster before we've even gotten started." Myles blurted in exasperation.

"Well, let's look at the bright side." Bobby chimed in. "We're in his nick of the woods now, so if he starts getting nosy, we can just shove him back to his movie set."

3 minutes later, the plane had halted on the runway and was fully parked. The team along with the other passengers shuffled in line to exit. Dimitrius led his coworkers out the door and down the stairs. The sky was bright with the California morning sun. As the travelers emerged out onto the parking lot, Chief Masters and Captain Newman walked up to the FBI agents. "Excuse me, I'm looking for special agent Jack Hudson, of the FBI?" Masters asked.

"I'm Agent Hudson." Jack spoke up. "And you are?"

"Charles Masters. Chief of the Metropolitan Police of Los Angeles. You'll be working within our jurisdiction while you're here. This is Captain Walter Newman, also from the Metro Police." Captain Newman shook hands with Jack.

"Agent Hudson, it's good to see you and your task force." Captain Newman sighed. "We really appreciate you coming all this way to assist us in our investigation. I certainly hope that we can work together without any misunderstandings."

"Yes, we hope so too." Jack nodded in agreement. "Anything we can do to help."

"If you'll all just follow us, we'll show you your accommodations." Chief Masters spoke up again. On the drive to the hotel, introductions were made and questions were asked about the progress of the case. "Another young lady, Missy Frazier was found murdered yesterday. Dr. Livingston from Community General Hospital performed an autopsy, and she has confirmed that Miss Frazier's death is exactly the same as the others we've been finding. That makes seven victims now."

"Have any other women been reported missing since then?" Dimitrius asked.

"Not yet." Captain Newman said dryly. "How did you know?"

"It's the killer's pattern." Myles chimed in. "Random females go missing, and then turn up dead in just a few days."

"That's right." Newman nodded. "Oh, by the way, Agent Hudson, do any of you recognize this guy? Would you be able to tell us who he is?" He pulled a photo out of a manila envelope and held it up for everyone to see. Jack and the rest all gaped with wide eyes.

"I don't believe it." Dimitrius said.

"Oh my word." Lucy stated.

"What? Do you know who that fellow is?" Captain Newman repeated himself.

"It's Jeff White!" Jack exclaimed.

"That's him!" Sue declared excitedly.

"And who is Jeff White?" Chief Masters inquired.

"Your serial killer." Bobby answered. "Jeff White, the mastermind behind the Rose Man Murders, at least that's what we call them."

"After the black rose he leaves next to the victims." Masters finished.

"Exactly." Tara stated. "Excellent work, Captain. This is the guy!"

"For curiosity's sake, where did you get these snapshots?" Myles asked.

"From Detective Lieutenant Steve Sloan of our homicide division." Masters replied. "He'll be the lead man you'll be working with, since he's the officer in charge of the investigation. Chief Masters will be introducing you all to each other at noon, if you'll care to join him for lunch."

"Sounds do-able." Jack said, glancing to his friends.

"I can't think of a better time to converse over a joint partnership mystery." Bobby shrugged. "Personally, I don't discuss new info too well on an empty stomach."

"Good. Then we'll have it arranged." Masters nodded.

"Not to appear suspicious, but what led Detective Sloan onto White?" Sue asked curiously. "How did he know who to follow? From the chatter we got back in Washington, we were told that you had no clue who the killer was!"

"We didn't!" Newman exclaimed. "And neither did he, really."

"Then how..." Lucy began.

"These pictures were from the press conferences at the crime scenes. This guy was seen at every one of them, standing outside of the group of people, but just close enough to hear what information was being released. None of the neighbors of the areas have seen him before." Newman explained.

"But who singled White out?" Lucy asked.

"Dr. Mark Sloan, Lt. Sloan's father." Newman responded. "He was the one to notice _White's_ behavior on the conference tapes' footage."

"Mmm." Jack pursed his lips, nodding, and glanced at Sue who smiled. "I have a feeling we're gonna want to get to know this Dr. Sloan."

"Could prove very interesting." Dimitrius agreed.

"Right oh. You think you could arrange it so that Dr. Sloan could also join us at noontime?" Bobby asked.

"I don't see any problems." Newman said, after exchanging a glance with Chief Masters.

"Good." Sue smiled. "Perhaps he could be useful to us in flushing out Jeff White."

"Ohhh," Myles cringed and rolled his eyes, remembering their experience when movie star Adam Kinsey had been invited to shadow them on the field. "I can see where this is going!"


	5. Chapter 5 Meeting the Team

Steve and Mark pulled into the BBQ Bob's parking lot for lunch where they'd agreed to meet with the team. It hadn't taken much to convince the agents, especially Bobby and Jack, that it was a great food joint to hang out. Myles had been picky about the situation, insisting they should eat at something more sophisticated to see what LA had to offer, while everyone else was hungry for some good old-fashioned dinner. "So, do you think these agents will be very helpful?" Mark asked curiously, as they stepped out of Steve's car.

"They're supposed to be really good, Dad." Steve replied. "And they came highly recommended. They're supposed to be the best D.C. has to offer."

"I heard you mention that that Miss Thomas is a wiz at her lip-reading skills."

"That's what I heard too. I guess we'll see for ourselves, won't we?" Then Steve frowned. "I just hope they're not...you know, political and egotistical." He was thinking back on Amanda's old boyfriend, Ron Wagner.

"Well, let's reserve judgment this time for meet and greets, shall we?" Mark suggested. "Besides, with Miss Thomas's recommended methods, which we most likely really need at the moment, we don't have much choice."

"Uh, yeah." Steve nodded nervously and opened the door. Chief Masters was standing near the middle table, among a group of people, mostly men, clad in black jackets. Steve's eyes narrowed in confusion: _Did I just see a dog in here?_ He asked himself. He could've sworn he'd seen a wagging dog's tail. Well, he was one of the owners here, so he could deal with that...uh, later. Back to the business at hand.

"Lt. Sloan, and Dr. Sloan." Chief Masters greeted them. "Good to see you again."

"You too, Chief Masters." Mark smiled.

"So, Lt. Sloan, this is the task force from Washington D.C. whom we requested to assist us with the case. I'd like you first to meet special agent Jack Hudson." Jack stepped forward. He was a good looking guy with black hair and dark eyes. He was slightly shorter than Steve and Mark, but looked like he could take care of himself pretty good in a rough situation.

"Agent Hudson," Steve greeted with a firm handshake which Jack returned without reserve.

"Hey there." Jack smiled. "This is my squad. That's special agent Bobby Manning." Jack pointed out to a tall, dark-haired, friendly looking fellow next to him. Steve nodded. The guy smiled widely and his happy teeth captured a returned, unabated smile from Mark.

"Good to be workin' with ya, mate." Bobby said cheerfully.

"Do I detect an accent there?" Mark asked.

"Hit the nail right on the head, mate." Bobby replied. "I'm from the 'wild' jungles from down under." Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Don't listen to him. It's a bad habit he gets in." Myles said dryly. "He's not really from Australia, he just picked up that accent in undercover training. Ever since then, he's convinced that his life-story began down with the kangaroos and koala bears. I've tried to talk to the bureau psychiatrist about what to do with him, but he said the outback boy is hopeless, and that we should humor him. Looks like he fooled you too. I told ya, the accent will get them every time." Most of the other agents snickered, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. Mark and Steve chuckled.

"Ha?" Bobby gaped, acting as if he was confused. "Very interesting piece of news, Myles. I never knew that! Thanks for the tip, mate. I'll be sure to tell it to Garret when we get back. Of course, he'll probably only fire me for presenting my birth certificate under false pretenses."

"That was a very well thought out story you concocted just off the top of your head, Einstein with a gun." Lucy remarked earning her a few confused but amused facial expressions from across the room. "Funny you should say that, seeing as how Bobby was on the team long before _you_ arrived."

Jack chuckled and spoke in low tones. "I can tell you from personal experience, Bobby's for real. In case you were worried." Myles reached out his hand and smiled smugly.

"Myles Leland the Third. At your service, gentlemen." He said in a suave voice.

"Steve Sloan, the first." Steve joked.

"You'll, uh, get to know _him_ as we roll along." Jack whispered, rolling his eyes.

"Oh. Should we be on our guard?" Mark whispered back.

"Nah. Just be prepared with some good comebacks." Lucy blocked Myles' way and cocked her head, smiled widely. "Oh, this is Lucy Dotson. She's our roader. She keeps our office running smoothly."

"Yeah, well, someone's gotta keep these cocky guys in line. Hi." Lucy chirped. "Nice to meet you handsome gentlemen."

"Oh, uh...thank you." Steve smiled sheepishly. Mark rubbed his nose with his finger. Lucy was very pretty. She was dazzling. Not only that, but her out-going, if sarcastic manner put both of the Sloan men at ease. She had a very engaging smile and apparently a personality to match.

"And thank you, Jack for that _overdue appreciation."_ Lucy remarked sarcastically to Jack and eyed the other guys in her unit. "Funny how you guys never bring it up though when we're not around strangers." Myles looked annoyed and pursed his lips behind her.

" _Boy, she and Amanda would get along well."_ Steve whispered to Mark who chuckled. They were unaware that a pair of meek brown eyes had not only seen but read their conversation, and she smiled.

"That's Tara Williams." Jack pointed to another woman with short, wispy brown hair and mischievous eyes. She was very attractive too. "You'll be seeing a lot of her, especially around the computer."

"Miss Williams." Mark grinned.

 _I wonder if she's going out with anyone,_ Steve thought to himself.

Tara waved and grinned a sweet smile. "Hello. I hope we can work together efficiently, and in a friendly way." Tara replied. "Need anything, just ask me."

Steve was beginning to feel less guarded about these people. Their sense of humor and warmth reminded him a lot of his family. _They seem to work well together,_ he thought. _Of course, we haven't started talking about the case yet. And who knows how that's going to go? Well, we have no time for politics with this situation. We're just gonna have to work together, and they'll have to face that hard fact, like it or not._

"Dimitrius Ganz," Jack introduced the senior FBI agent.

"Dr. Sloan, Lt. Sloan," D nodded, shaking their hands.

"And this is..." Jack began to say when a lovely young woman came beside him. She had long, blonde hair and soft brown eyes. She smiled gently. "And this is Sue Thomas, our lip-reader." Jack smiled exceedingly when he introduced her. He looked extra happy as she stood next to him. His countenance did not go unnoticed by Mark, or Steve, or... _Lucy_ , who was smirking with her arms crossed as she gazed at her favorite 'couple'.

"Miss Thomas," Steve grinned, the only words he could get out. He stared endlessly at her. That look did not go unnoticed from two certain FBI members.

"Hello. It's good to meet both of you." Sue smiled, signing as she spoke. Steve reached out his hand to shake Sue's when there was a loud growl close to the floor. Steve's eyes widened and Mark gaped. Levi was staring straight up at the friendly detective and he was snarling big time. His teeth were bared in a very unfriendly message.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, buddy." Steve backed off. "I'm on your side."

" _Levi,"_ Sue frowned. However, Jack glanced to Lucy. She'd signed 'snarl' to Levi. Jack grinned and signed 'thank you' to her. She was still trying to play matchmaker for Jack and Sue. And when she'd laid her eyes on Dr. Sloan's tall, robust, very handsome son, she'd decided to have her fun. "Levi, that's not nice." Sue scolded the dog. "We're working together on this, remember?" Levi panted.

"He's...very protective of you." Steve stated.

"Yeah," Jack gloated. "He has a possessive problem. Of course, he doesn't seem to have a problem with _us."_

"That's odd." Lucy remarked casually, nodding in agreement. "He never acts that way around _Jack."_

"Sorry about that." Sue grinned. "This is Levi, he's my hearing dog. If the phone rings, or someone's trying to get my attention, he lets me know."

"Hello, handsome fellow." Mark smiled at Levi. The dog raised his paw. Mark took it and laughed. Then Levi offered it to Steve who kept up a suspicious face.

"Look, bud, if we're gonna solve this case, we've got to be on good terms. Okay?" Steve asked. Levi barked.

"It's good to meet all of you." Steve said with his hands on his hips. "This is my father, Doctor Mark Sloan, chief of internal medicine at Community General Hospital, and...medical consultant to the police department where I work."

"Mmm. Impressive." Lucy raised her eyebrows.

"Sounds like a full life." Sue commented.

"Yeah, he, uh, really keeps us on our toes." Steve said sarcastically, smirking at his dad.

"Just trying to help out." Mark smiled innocently and shrugged.

"Well, then I suppose you'll be very helpful to us all, Dr. Sloan." D said.

"I'll do my best."

"We'd really appreciate any help you can give us." Jack stated.

"Same here." Steve replied.

* * *

Steve had his other employees serve lunch and Chief Masters prepared to discuss terms regarding the case. "This your own recipe for BBQ sauce, Lt. Sloan?" Bobby asked curiously, licking his fingers.

"Yeah. Handed down from generations." Steve replied.

"Wouldn't care to sell it would ya?" Bobby joked.

"No, no." Mark frowned, shaking his head. "I'm afraid that's something we just can't let go of." Bobby made a face and bit into his other hot wing. Steve was about to delve into his mega burger when he looked down and noticed the plate was empty. His brows furrowed in confusion. His eyes went straight to Mark's plate.

"Dad?" Steve prodded.

"Hmm?"

"You, uh...you didn't, uh..." Steve pointed to his own plate.

"Oh, no. That wasn't me."

"Well, unless Jesse managed to sneak in here without my knowledge just to get a thrill meet and greet," Steve muttered, "I'm afraid I'll have to have this place inspected for rodents."

"Hmm. I don't think you'll have to look very far to find your culprit, Lt. Sloan." Lucy said from her seat across from their table.

"Hmm?" Steve grunted, confused. Lucy grinned and pointed towards the table behind them. Levi was standing near Sue's seat and glanced in their direction, slowly wagging his tail and licking his lips. His nuzzle was painted with splotches of BBQ sauce. Steve shifted backwards in his chair and his hand on his hip, his eyes narrowing at the culprit. Levi just 'smiled'. Mark was snorting, and trying to stifle his giggles.

"Did you lose something, mate?" Bobby asked.

"Aw, no. No. Nothing of any significance." Steve shook his head. "Just my midday meal that's all." Bobby grinned and nodded. "That dog's gonna owe me." He said, leaning closer to Mark.

"Why don't you tell Sue that?" Lucy smirked. Bobby's jaw dropped and he stared at her in confusion.

"Do what?"

"Go ahead. Tell her that her dog ate your lunch. She'll gladly pay ya back for it. I guarantee it." Lucy said. Mark raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"Okay. Thanks, I will." Steve nodded, secretly happy for the chance to get to actually talk with the lovely woman with soft brown eyes. He cleared his throat and tried to pretend to be stern, then walked over to Sue's table where she was conversing with Jack and Myles.

"Luce, what are you up to?" Bobby asked in a whisper.

"Shh." Lucy replied. All these years, she'd been hinting and trying to get Jack and Sue to admit their feelings for each other. Right now her little scheme to push them even harder was working!

Steve stopped at their table, but Sue with her back towards the detective, didn't even know he was there. "Ahem!" He grunted.

"Something we can do for you, Lt.?" Jack asked, taking a bite of his meal.

"Plenty." Steve said dryly, then stared down coldly at Sue. Jack noticed it and swallowed his bite. He didn't like that look, especially if Sue hadn't done anything wrong.

"Sue?" Jack prodded, touching her arm to get her attention. She looked up at him.

"Yes?" She inquired. "Did I miss something?"

"Someone wants to talk to you." Jack tilted his eyes in Steve's direction. Sue turned and was surprised to see Dr. Sloan's son standing there, with a cold cop stare.

"Oh...hi." She said nervously. "Uhm...is something wrong?" She asked timidly.

"I'll say there is." Steve said gruffly in mock aggravation. "That scavenger companion of yours stole my lunch!" Sue's jaw dropped and she glanced down at Levi.

"You've got to watch that." Myles spoke up. "Oh, I can totally sympathize, Lt. Being a victim of meal deprivation myself."

"Yeah." Steve said, unamused.

"I'm so sorry!" Sue cried. "He sometimes has a bad habit of helping himself if he thinks he can get away with it. I'm very sorry."

"Sorry doesn't get me my lunch." Steve replied curtly. Jack straightened his posture in his chair.

"My thoughts exactly." Myles nodded.

"Nobody asked you, Myles." Jack rolled his eyes. Sue pulled out her purse and plucked out a ten-dollar bill.

"Here you go." She smiled up at Steve. "I hope this will compensate you for your lost lunch." Steve gaped, not sure what to do next. Usually _he_ was the one to buy the food when he was out with girls, but this woman had just freely given him _money_ from her own pocket! He also couldn't help almost grinning as his lunch had only cost $5.98.

"Here. If anyone's gonna pay for his lunch, _I'll_ do it!" Jack declared, rising from his seat.

"Oh, no." Steve said in mock protest. "I...I couldn't take your money."

"No, please. Take it." Sue begged. "I wouldn't want you to lose your lunch on my account. It'll make me feel better." Steve was having a hard time keeping up the tough guy facade when she smiled like that. He had to clear his throat to stay in character.

"All right. Thanks." He said, stuffing the money cash into his shirt pocket and walked away. Sue glanced down at Levi.

"You don't want me to check out what the California penalties are for stealing someone's lunch are, do you?" She asked Levi who grunted.

"A fine impression you're making for us, Levi." Myles muttered. You'll certainly never get my vote if you decide to run for media liaison."

Lucy smirked as she watched Steve return to his seat with a smile on his face. She'd seen the whole thing and had given herself a thumb's up when Jack had kept his sharp, protective eyes on Steve, watching every move he'd made. Mark's eyes widened when he saw the ten dollar bill in his son's hand. "She actually paid you?" He sputtered.

"Yeah." Steve grinned, pursing his lips. "This doesn't happen to me everyday." He was definitely looking forward to working with these guys, especially Sue.

* * *

When the meal was finished, Chief Masters updated everyone on what was happening with the case. Then, he asked Jack to stand up and speak a few words. Jack rose from his seat and held out the photos of Jeff White where everyone could see them. "Lt. Sloan? Dr. Sloan? I understand that you provided the metro police with these snapshots?" He asked.

"That's right." Steve nodded.

"And, it was _you,_ doctor, who had a hunch to look this guy up?"

"Yes." Mark agreed.

"Well, excellent deductive reasoning, Dr. Sloan. Because this is the man we're all after: Jeff White." Jack declared.

"Are you serious?" Steve sputtered.

"Dead serious, Lt." Jack answered, wide-eyed. Tara went on to explain about White's profile, including his criminal charges, and the back story of his vengeful motive.

"Man, what a twisted mind." Mark shook his head. He honestly felt bad for Jeff White after he'd heard about the guy's lost love. But that was no excuse for him to go around taking the lives of other people! "He's let his grief take over his life, and now he's become a vicious killer."

"Right. Dimitrius spoke up. "So, Lt. Sloan, you followed him yesterday and then lost track of him?"

"Yeah." Steve growled.

"Well, without a home address, it's gonna be tough to locate him."

"But if White was in D.C. just a few weeks ago, then he must be staying at a hotel." Lucy remarked. "Or maybe with a friend."

"We found another victim last week that White can cross off his list." Jack explained. "We went to his hotel room, but he'd disappeared, and the place was clean as a whistle."

"We even checked his phone bill from the hotel, but he'd made no phone calls at all!" Tara exclaimed.

"Great!" Steve huffed. "That leaves only how many million connections he could've worked through in all fifty states."

"He used an alias at the hotel." Myles chimed in. "White's a lone wolf. His relatives don't want anything to do with him, and as far as we know, he doesn't have any close friends."

"Well, with all the victims that have turned up inside Los Angeles, he must be right in our midst somewhere." Mark stated.

"I've put out an APB out to all the hotels in the city, but so far nothing." Steve said.

"Let's start back to square one." Chief Masters spoke up. "I say we check any flights in the metro area from the past month that have come in from Maryland or Cleveland. And see if anyone matching his description turns up."

"I can take care of that faster than you can say, 'Reach for the sky'." Tara said.

"We appreciate it, Miss Williams." Mark nodded. Tara grinned and fiddled her fingers in Sign Language.

"It's no problem. And you can call me Tara."

"That's fine." Chief Masters said in approval. "Sloan?" He turned his head toward Steve. "I'm leaving this in your hands now. I expect a full-scale working operation. Everyone, Lt. Sloan will be your tour guide through our progress in the case. I strongly recommend that you all do your best to work _together._ Remember, this isn't about us: it's about the victims and their families, and the justice they deserve. Maybe now that we have some solid leads, we'll be able to pull this scum off the street and send him to where he belongs! I expect full cooperation from all involved. And, any developments you make get reported to me asap. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." The whole group said in unison.

"Good."

"We have a chance now." Steve sighed in relief.

"Yes. For the first time in days, I have a very good feeling about this." Mark agreed.

"So do we." Jack smiled. "It'll be a pleasure working with you both. As long as we remember that it's not about us."

"My thoughts exactly." Steve narrowed his eyes.

"Well, I say we quit talking, and start doing!" Sue added.


	6. Chapter 6 Guesses and Clues

**I really do apologize for taking so long with this one. I didn't want it that way, but here's the chapter...finally! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Bobby? You and Tara head back to the airport and inquire about the said flights." Jack instructed. "And show them Jeff White's photo. Who knows? Maybe he'll show up on their list of passengers. Keep us posted."

"I'm already racing for the runway." Tara said.

"I'll take them there." Chief Masters offered.

"Dimitrius, you and Lucy go with Myles to the nearby convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. that are close to the Jasmine Hotel and Winfield Park, and ask around if they've ever seen White before. Show them his photo." Jack continued.

"Right." Dimitrius nodded.

"Uh, call me uncooperative if you will," Myles interjected, "but, uh...to refresh your memory, we _just_ arrived. We don't know our way around this city, and I think it would appear to be childishly zealous of ourselves if we take a hike through the concrete forest without an experienced tour guide." Steve furrowed his brows at Myles' eloquence.

"I wouldn't worry if I were you, Myles." Jack said. "You see, there's this brand new invention they've come out with. I believe they're called taxi cabs. You should try it sometime." Myles pursed his lips.

"Excuse me, but my experience with taxi cabs hasn't quite acquired the five star review." He retorted.

"Yeah, well you aren't exactly what I'd call a good luck charm." Lucy smirked. "Quite the opposite." Steve and Mark chuckled while Myles glared.

"Lucy, now I know why they didn't make you an agent." Myles rolled his eyes. "You would never make it as an average support staff member, being the true ray of sunshine that you are." Lucy made a face.

"Support staff isn't what you need." She replied. "You need a..."

"All right, all right, you two. Let's just go." Dimitrius smiled.

"Yeah, uh, let us know if you find anything." Jack stated.

"Here, let me give you directions." Steve said, pulling a notepad and pencil out of his jacket pocket.

"I have a brilliant idea." Myles interjected. "What do you say we just skip the hassle of being the victims of the underrated, over-charging taxi service world, and use a rental?" He asked proudly.

"You're in luck, Agent Leland." Mark spoke up. "The car rental service is just three blocks down the road."

"Er, Myles?" Sue added. "Won't that cost about the same as a cab?"

"Perhaps." Myles answered. "But I'd rather conserve the frustration of being at the mercy of a stranger and take my hands to the wheel myself." Dimitrius shook his head with a snicker.

"Wait a minute." He spoke up. "Who said that _you're_ going to drive?"

"Please, we want to make sure the car comes back as it was given."

"There you go." Steve interrupted them, handing out the directions. Myles reached for it but Lucy brushed in front of him and slipped the paper into her own fingers.

"Thank you, Lt." She grinned. "Let's go, Dimitrius before Myles has us rolling around in a swanky limousine." She chuckled as D followed her out the door.

"We'll be in touch." He grinned back to Jack and Sue. Myles rolled his eyes and followed suit.

"Don't get lost." Sue joked. Myles turned back and glared, then walked away. "So, Jack, where are _we_ going?"

"Yeah, what do you want to look at first, Agent Hudson?" Steve asked.

"Do you think you could take us to Winfield Park, where they found the last victim Missy Frazier?" Jack answered. "There's something about her death in particular that puzzles me."

"Sure. We can take you there, no problem." Mark replied.

"Don't tell me you think White is gonna be there waiting for us." Steve remarked.

"No." Jack shook his head. "I can't exactly say. I just want to take a look at it."

"Well, then come on." Steve shrugged. "We'll take my car."

"What are you thinking about, Jack?" Sue inquired quietly. "Something bugging you?"

"Yeah. Perhaps you'll catch on when we get there." Jack groaned.

As they were all about to enter Steve's car, Mark spoke up. "Hey, is that fellow you work with _always_ so modest?"

"Who? Myles?" Jack chuckled.

"He has a...low self esteem problem." Sue said casually. "Feels like he needs to polish his image 'cause he's afraid no one else will. Very sad." She smirked with a glance to Jack before she took the back seat. Jack pretended to be confused and shook his head.

"Yeah. A real pity." Steve said sarcastically before sitting down in the driver's seat. After thinking about it, Jack had Sue take the driver passenger seat so she could read his and Mark's lips in the rear view mirror. She shrugged and agreed, but Steve was grinning widely.

Sue fastened her seat belt then caught Steve staring at her. She widely smiled back. "Ahem." She said sheepishly. "If we're going to put together our deductive sleuthing minds, I think we'd better get going." She hinted, rolling her eyes toward the parking lot.

"Right." Steve replied.

"Ahem!" Jack cleared his throat loudly, growing a little hot under the collar. "Lt., uh, I think you could drive much better if you keep your eyes on where you're going." Mark chuckled as he saw the exchange between his son and the handsome young agent who were both apparently interested in the same lovely young woman. Levi was sandwiched between Jack and Mark. Jack gave a finger sign to the dog and pointed straight ahead. Levi leaned forward toward the front seat, sticking his head between Steve and Sue, and snorted. The spray from his nose snapped Steve out of his trance. He grunted and turned on the motor. Sue rolled her eyes back at Jack who shifted his gaze 'innocently' toward the roof of the car.

"Uhm, he's asking if you'd prefer him to drive." Sue said casually. Steve raised his eyebrows.

"You wanna drive?" He asked the dog. Levi covered his nose with his paw.

"He says he'd like to, but he doesn't like to in unfamiliar territory." Sue grinned. Steve nodded and they were finally on their way.

* * *

"Nice going, Einstein." Lucy muttered, narrowing her eyes at Myles in the driver's seat. They were supposed to be in another industrialized section of the city, but Myles, the cocky, too self-assured driver had succeeded in routing them onto a random street away from the bustle, and they were now parked at a small sailboat harbor.

"I thought you said that you had everything in hand." Dimitrius added from the back seat.

"Now, now," Myles raised his hand in a halting gesture. "Now don't get hysterical. I am not prepared for dealing with the unbecoming, highly exhausting frantic of the turbulent, afraid of the future mind." Lucy gaped with furrowed brows. Dimitrius returned her look.

"We're in California, Myles. Not the psychiatric ward." He retorted.

"The directions distinctly say, _'turn right on McKinsey Ln._ _Then make a left at the stop light. Keep going straight on_ _Ludwig, then make a left turn at Windsor Rd.'"_ Lucy explained dryly. "We passed McKinsey 10 blocks ago!"

"Well, you should've told me." Myles scolded.

"I did, but naturally you weren't listening."

"I heard no such thing. You neglected to inform me of that vital tidbit of information."

"She did tell you." Dimitrius interjected. "But you were too busy explaining the fine gadgets, interior lining, and sleek stride of this self hand-picked thoroughbred." Myles sighed.

"We are _not_ lost. We're just…a bit turned around, okay? Anyone else got any brilliant ideas?" Myles huffed.

"Yeah, why don't we put you in the trunk, and Dimitrius will drive us to our destination?" Lucy suggested. "At least he would go by the directions."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Dimitrius chuckled. Myles squinted, quite peeved at both of them.

"I am not the least bit amused by your childish, pin-cushion pricking jokes of unforgiveness." Myles said dramatically. "Just leave it to me." And he started up the engine again.

"I suggest we get out of the car, find someone and ask them for directions." Dimitrius said casually. "It can't be that hard."

"Mph." Lucy scrunched up her nose. "Doesn't sound as appetizing as my suggestion, but it's the most logical thing to do."

"No need." Myles said smugly. " _I_ will be our guide Beverly Hills. These fisherman can be notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to believing strangers are trying to put them out of business. Asking for directions is a last resort to defeat, and we don't want to appear pathetic to these life-long Californians."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm all for getting the accurate info from someone who knows what they're talking about." Lucy stated, removing her seat-belt.

"Go ahead and pull down our images if you choose to, but I am going to sit here and hold down the fort." Lucy rolled her eyes as Dimitrius joined her in exiting the car.

"Can someone please tell me what is it with nitwits in asking for directions?" She asked him as they walked down to one of the docks.

"It deflates the superman fantasy." Dimitrius simply explained.

* * *

"So, is this where you found her?" Jack asked Steve. They were at Winfield Park, looking over the crime scene. It was in a wide open area, several feet away from an obstacles.

"Yeah." Steve muttered. "Right here."

"And about how long would you say she'd been dead?"

"Well, our good friend, Dr. Amanda Livingston, the staff pathologist at Community General said that Missy had to have been dead for at least 8 hours." Mark answered.

"And with the rose and the note, we can be sure it was White?" Sue asked.

"Positive." Jack nodded. "Still, there's something not quite lining up here that puzzles me." He scratched his head.

"What's that?" Steve asked.

"Well, it doesn't quite fit White's killing pattern." Jack replied. Sue stared at him incredulously.

"What do you mean?" Mark inquired.

"Well, now don't get me wrong," Jack warned. "I have no doubt that White is responsible for this. But, it's just odd that he should dump the victim here, out in the open, and outdoors no less."

"You know, Jack? You're right." Sue nodded in comprehension, finally catching on.

"Sorry, I'm not entirely following." Steve said, confused.

"Well, from what we've seen and from past cases, after White murders a woman, he always leaves her inside a home structure." Sue explained. "This is the first we've ever seen that he's vulnerably placed the victim outside...and in a public area of all places."

"Yeah, come to think of it now, it's been the same here." Mark agreed. "The victims have always been found inside a house. Isn't that right, Steve?"

"Right." Steve nodded. "And never in the same house either."

Jack bit his lip. "Well, if this is all White's doing, it looks to me like either he's getting very sloppy, or..."

"Or he's becoming more bold, and not so afraid anymore to expose his handiwork." Mark finished.

"Which means he's becoming more dangerous than before." Steve stated dryly.

"Exactly." Jack nodded, wide-eyed.

"But the question is why?" Sue remarked. "He's never done it this way before. So, why start now? What does it profit him to show everyone what he's done?"

"I'm afraid that is the question we'll all have to put together ourselves." Mark shook his head.

"And hopefully before he decides to take another innocent victim." Steve declared in disgust.

"Well, we've got several pieces to the puzzle." Jack grinned. "Let's hope that Bobby and them can bring us some of the finishing touches."

"And possibly by chance that White is just becoming sloppy in covering his tracks." Sue added. Jack's phone rang.

"Yeah? Hudson." He answered. "Yeah...uh-huh. Okay. All right, we'll find out what you cooked up when you get back. Okay. See ya." Then he hung up. "That was Bobby. They didn't turn up much at the airport..."

"Go figure." Steve sighed.

" _But,"_ Jack continued, holding up his index finger, "they found a few passenger ID's from the past few weeks that _might_ be Jeff White in a disguise." Sue raised her eyebrows.

"Well, that sure narrows it down."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to use our brilliant powers of observation." Mark shrugged.

" _And,_ have Tara run the guys through her sharp, biometric, X-ray eyes." Sue chuckled. Steve's ears perked up at that remark.

"Don't tell me that Tara had laser lens installed in her brain when she joined the FBI." Mark joked. Steve shook his head.

"Mmm, well," Sue raised her eyebrows.

"I never asked her," Jack said. "But she's pretty amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if she _does."_

Steve didn't realize how widely he was smiling 'til Mark nudged his shoulder.

"I guess we'd better head back." Steve said. Just then, Sue's cell phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the text message.

"Does she have text messaging or something?" Steve asked Jack who nodded.

"Yep." Jack answered.

"I keep telling you, Dad, you need to get one of those newer phones." Steve said.

"Aw, I don't think I could bring myself to part with my old friend." Mark sighed. "We've been together for so long."

"It's Lucy." Sue said. "They're finished looking around the local hangouts around here and she wants to know where we are." She pressed some buttons in response. "She wants to know if we could meet them over at the Citco gas station near here, and show them the way back."

"No problem." Mark said. "It's just around the corner." Sue nodded and replied to Lucy, then laughed and rolled her eyes.

" _What?"_ Jack and Steve asked together. Jack was grinning.

"She says she doesn't trust Myles keen sense of direction to find their way back." Sue stated. "Turns out they had some trouble on the way in."

"Oh." Steve chuckled.

"Well, I suppose we better go rescue them." Mark suggested. "Did they find anything?"

"Oh, yes. She said they found some very interesting information." Sue responded.

* * *

"Okay, that's the last time I ride with Myles driving in a different state." Lucy remarked, walking up to Jack, Steve, Mark, and Sue when they pulled up and stepped out of the car. "I'd rather walk, and save the trouble of wasting the time arguing."

"Well, at least you're here." Sue shrugged. Lucy made her eyes and made a face.

"So, where you able to dig up anything?" Jack asked.

"Quite." Myles said. "It turns out that our good friend, Mr. Jeff White was in the convenience store earlier today, _and_ he also paid a visit to the hot dog joint in this quaint little town."

"Nice work." Mark smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Were you able to get the surveillance tapes?"

"That and more." Dimitrius grinned.

"More?" Steve gaped incredulously.

"Seems that White wasn't entirely alone in his gallivanting around town today." Lucy announced.

"You mean that he has a partner?!" Mark gasped.

"I thought you guys said that White is a lone wolf." Steve interjected.

"Apparently not anymore." Dimitrius shook his head. "Sue, we're gonna need you to to do some eavesdropping for us." He was referring to her lip-reading skills.

"That's what I'm here for." Sue smiled.

 _I'm looking forward to observing that!_ Steve thought to himself.

"Well, I say we head back and confer together then." Steve remarked. "What do you say we go to the hotel where your task force is stationed at?"

"I think that would be a good place." Jack agreed.

"We'll follow you." Dimitrius said. "And this time I'll drive."

"Good." Steve stated.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to end up right in the middle of some movie set out in the country, now would we?" Lucy joked, glancing at Myles who shook his head.

"All right, all right." Jack said. "Let's get going. Cheer up, Myles. Look, things could be worse. Howie could've been sent with us."

" _Please,"_ Myles cringed. "Garret wouldn't be _that_ cruel to us. Besides, if Howie had come along we would've never gotten here in the first place."

"Who's Howie?" Mark inquired.

"A distasteful individual whose level in mental acuity I've never been comfortable with." Myles explained quickly. "Can we just go?"

"He's a snitch, who's often a little too talkative." Lucy corrected him.

"Oh." Steve grinned.

* * *

Bobby and Tara were waiting for them when they all arrived at the hotel. Chief Masters had returned to the police station, saying he knew that Steve would update him on all the clues later through Captain Newman and Cheryl. The team had all agreed to meet in the suite that Lucy, Tara, and Sue were going to share-Levi too-since it was the biggest private room that would accommodate everyone. Bobby answered the door. "Come on in." He said as they entered. As usual, they found Tara glued to her laptop.

"So, what did you find?" Jack asked.

"Well, what did _you_ find?" Bobby asked back.

"Excuse me, I'm really anxious to share what _we_ found!" Lucy interjected.

"Why don't we just start with Bobby and Tara's clues since they got back here first?" Sue suggested.

"Right oh." Bobby nodded. Everyone made themselves comfortable. Bobby passed out 4 photos of airplane passengers, all male, who possibly could've been Jeff White in disguise. "These were the most promising candidates the associates could turn up for us." Bobby explained. "Tara's been running them through the computer, in the biometrics system. She also put up several of White's photos against them to see if we can get a match."

"Any luck yet?" Jack asked.

"Patience, Sparky." Tara answered, keeping her eyes glued to her technology. "This is highly intelligent data I'm dealing with and it requires concentration."

"Sparky?" Mark raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Jack. "Is that what they call you inside the bureau, or is it some kind of code you're supposed to use?"

"It's not important." Jack said, trying to change the subject.

"Aw, you can run, Spark, but you can't hide!" Bobby announced and the other agents all laughed. Mark and Steve looked at each other.

"It's not essential to the case." Jack said louder. "Can we just get back on track?"

"So, how exactly does this biometric stuff work?" Steve asked curiously.

"It's incredible stuff." Tara remarked, wide-eyed and shaking her head. "You can scan a person's body parts through a highly digital graph, and it will give you the results, which is just as distinct as a fingerprint or DNA." Steve and Mark raised their eyebrows. Steve was very impressed not only with the computer geek's knowledge, and her obvious good looks, but also the ease and laid-back poise in how she worked with and shared it.

"Like you said, incredible stuff." Mark stated.

"Yep." Tara cocked her head and kept up her typing.

"Ahem. So, Sue what did you guys come up with?' Dimitrius inquired, trying to move on.

"Jack noticed an odd pattern in the way White's latest victim was found." Sue answered. "She was found in a park."

"And a widely populated one too." Mark added.

"Right." Sue said. "Do any of you notice anything contradicting in what I just told you?"

"Definitely." Myles spoke up. "I noticed some very distinct things that as you said are odd."

"You would be the one to bring that up, wouldn't you?" Lucy muttered but Myles ignored her.

"Jeff White doesn't advertise his artistic nature." He declared. "He keeps it a secret 'til someone discovers the victim. It isn't like him to place her in a public place, and outdoors. And, he never uses the same place twice, at least not in dumping the bodies. Unless of course, he's getting tired of this life on the run and is inwardly crying out for help by trying to grab attention." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Aside from the personality clash, I agree with Myles." Dimitrius said. "It isn't like White. So what are we thinking here? A copy cat?"

"May I say something?" Mark asked.

"Sure. Feel free, Doctor Sloan."

"Jack and Sue believe that it's the same guy, and aside from the location, is it safe to say that we can rule out any copycats?" Mark asked.

"I think so." Lucy spoke up. "According to the autopsy, Missy Frazier was killed and left for dead exactly the same way as the others. So..."

"Right. As we discussed it back at Winfield Park, it's possible that Jeff White is starting to show his hand in what he's done, and will most likely go on more proudly to display his dirty work."

"And why would he do that?" Myles asked dryly.

"That's the thing." Steve said. "Why? Because he's anxious to prove something to himself. What? We have no clue. But it sounds as if he's becoming more desperate."

"I have to agree." Sue sighed. "In all the past cases, White's never done this before. Serial killers usually take lives to fulfill a specific fantasy to themselves. However, it can never be brought to perfection. I'd say he's becoming more and more angry at the woman who dumped him, and so he's delving into his dark deeds with more vigor." Mark and Steve both stared at her.

 _Does she study these things at night to cure her insomnia or something?_ Steve thought.

"You know, Sue may be onto something." Lucy remarked.

"I have to agree." Mark nodded.

"But, he's been murdering women for almost two years now. So what is it that's fueling his temper after all this time? Why now?" Lucy shook her head.

"Maybe something in his past, something you mentioned before that could have a special significance." Mark stated.

"But what?" Dimitrius spoke up.

"I don't know." Jack sighed. "But I think Dr. Sloan is right. Maybe we should double-check White's profile and everything we know about him. Maybe there _is_ something we missed."

"Isn't anyone interested at all in the juicy tidbits _we_ picked up today?" Lucy asked.

" _I_ sure am." Steve announced. "I'm very hungry for the leads you found." Lucy smirked, and grabbed a bulky manila envelope.

"Well," she began. "It turns out that White was definitely in town this morning near Winfield Park. And from the approximate time of death according to the coroner, the time which Missy Frazier was found, and from the timing on the surveillance videos we got in the different hangouts, it appears as if we can definitely place White on location, right around the time of the murder."

"Let's see what you got." Bobby said, as Lucy placed one of the tapes into the VCR and turned on the TV.

Lucy made sure that Sue was looking in her direction to read her lips, before continuing. "Okay, this is the convenience store in that part of town, at 5:30 this morning. Now there's White. He comes in, buys a box of large, black trash bags, and leaves." Lucy finished, and put in the next tape.

"Nothing that eye catching so far." Steve remarked.

"Hold your horses, Lt." Lucy smirked. "The interesting parts are coming up. Okay, _now..._ this the surveillance video footage from the traffic light camera, the street that turns into the southern side of the park. This is at 6 o 'clock this morning. I'd like to take this time to direct everyone's attention to this little spot, right here, in the upper left-hand corner." She pointed to the said area on the TV screen, but it was so small that no one could detect much.

"Uh, what is that supposed to be?" Steve muttered.

"D?" Lucy smiled at Dimitrius, and he started passing out photos to everyone.

"They're a little fuzzy, but we were able to acquire some blown-up snapshots of the pinpointed spot Lucy talked about." He explained. "It's beyond the traffic light pole, but you can slightly see an area of the park. Now I know it's a bit dark too because the sun is just coming up, but with the streetlight on the sidewalk, what do you see?"

"It's kind of dark, but it almost appears as if a guy is reaching into the back of his car." Sue said.

"Excellent answer," Dimitrius smiled. "Keep going through them and tell me what else you see."

"Now, it looks like someone's coming to help him." Bobby said.

"Exactly." Myles grinned.

"They seem to be hauling some large, black object." Steve added. Mark pulled his magnifying glass out of his pocket though he had his glasses on, and took an even closer look.

"It's almost too fuzzy to identify their faces, but they are definitely carrying something." He stated.

"Well, I see everyone is using his thinking cap." Lucy smiled and unpaused the video. "I wish we could blow up the footage on film, but if you look really close, yes, you are correct: two men are pulling a bulky object out of the car. Then 5 minutes later, the one returns and drives away."

"So, our best bet is, this could be White and his partner." Jack stated.

"More or less." Myles shrugged.

"How did you get the traffic light surveillance video?" Mark asked, smiling.

"Haven't you heard? We're the FBI. We get around." Bobby chuckled.

"We called the mayor, explained who we were and why we were there." Dimitrius laughed. "He granted us permission in less than five minutes."

"Carrying a badge works wonders sometimes." Steve remarked.

"Now _this_ is where it gets interesting." Lucy spoke up again and flipped on a new tape recording. "Now, this is at 8:35, an hour before the press conference with the police, and 10 minutes before they arrived on the scene. This is at _The Dog Days,_ a small food joint where they serve chili dogs, corn dogs, you name it. Here comes White. He goes to the counter, makes an order, and then joins this guy at a booth. Sue, you think you could tell us what they're saying?" Sue smiled and nodded, then walked closer to the TV screen. She stared intently in concentration.

"White says, ' _Why didn't you wait for me?' "_ Sue shared the conversation out loud. "Then the other guy is asking what took White so long. And he also said that he could easily live on wieners and cola for breakfast."

"Then someone's gonna have their cholesterol really out of whack." Steve and Myles said together, then stared incredulously at each other.

Sue continued. "The other guy says, _'Hey, we've gotta be careful, man. This isn't like playing hookey, you know.'_

White says, _'Hey...I know what I'm doing. Okay?'_

The other guy is saying, _'Okay, I didn't mean anything. We just really need to watch it.'_

Now White says, _'It's all under control. Next time, we're going big. I've waited long enough. By the 28_ _th_ _, everything will be perfect. The time of...r-re...reckoning has come. I'm going to make her pay for everything she put me through. She_ _ **will**_ _be sorry, and then and_ _ **only**_ _then will I finally be satisfied!'_

John Doe is saying, _'How big?_ _And what if she's not sorry?'_

White's smiling. He's saying, _'She_ _ **will**_ _be. And if not, I'll do whatever is takes to make her change her mind.' "_

"Sounds like it's only confirming our theory that he's becoming more agitated about this." Jack remarked. Mark nodded with wide eyes.

"That yobbo must be feeling the heat." Bobby said.

Sue explained, "John Doe says, _'This is crazy, you know.'_

White says, _'Hey, you want out, you can leave now. Don't worry about me. I can do this just fine by myself.'_

John Doe said, _'No, I'm good. I just hope you know what you're doing.'_

White just said, _'You've got a lot to learn.' "_ At this, on the screen, John Doe checked out at the register and left. Jeff White ate his hot dog, then left too after paying.

"Well, smells like we are definitely on the right track." Myles stated.

"White said something about next time they're going big," Lucy said confused. "What is he talking about? His next victim?"

"And just how big?" Bobby added. "There's no telling who he could be after next."

"Well, we're gonna have to figure it out before he _does_ abduct another defenseless woman." Jack declared.

"Hello! Hello!" Tara exclaimed, staring at her computer. "I think we have a winner." Everyone turned to her and grouped around her laptop. "Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to a Mr. Ronnie Nelson, aka Mr. Jeff White. This was his passport photo from 3 weeks ago, but here is his incarceration photo. As you can see in the passport, we're looking at a completely different face, _but..._ run his ears, nose, and lips through biometrics and...presto!" The green graph on the computer screen said Perfect Match.

"Whoa!" Steve gaped.

"Well, I'd say this is our lucky day." Dimitrius smiled.

"How did you do that?" Steve asked Tara in astonishment. She just grinned.

"It's a gift." She said simply.

"We found it's technically better not to question." Sue grinned.

"Yeah, you don't interrupt Tara when she's on a roll." Bobby said sarcastically.

"Sorry." Steve muttered.

"It's okay." Tara laughed. "Turns out that White arrived here on the 5th of the month, but no one knows where he disappeared off to after that."

"Well, it fits. It's been-what?-two weeks since those murders started raving through LA, Steve?" Mark asked.

"Uh-huh." Steve grunted.

"Well, this lucky day, boys and girls, might just get even luckier." Lucy smirked. "Turns out that White paid for his wiener and the trash bags with a credit card. I doubt we'll find a billing address with the way he lives on the run, but it might be little fun to take a peek into his investments, huh?"

"I just love you guys." Jack sighed sarcastically to Lucy, Dimitrius, and Myles.

"It's good to be wanted." Myles retorted.

"Yeah, but by which of the top ten most wanted, huh?" Steve teased, playing along with the agents in aggravating the pompous one. Myles pursed his lips and stared suspiciously.

"I'm waiting for the day you all will go too far." He said dramatically, and patted his holster on his hip.

"So, I guess it'd be too much to hope for that John Doe paid with a credit card too?" Mark suggested hopefully.

"Negative. The cheap skate actually used cash."

"Well, I guess I could show his photo around to the cab companies here." Steve said. "See if anyone's rendered him a service while he's been in town. Care to go with me, Agent Leland?" He asked sarcastically, remembering Myles' earlier boasting back at BBQ Bob's.

"I prefer to stay back right now and hold the fort down." Myles answered smugly.

Steve grinned and nodded. "Well, carry on then."

"I'll join you, Lt. Sloan." Dimitrius said.

"Yeah, and I need to get back to the hospital." Mark stated.

"I'll see what little green goodies we can come up with on White." Tara announced, referring to the credit card.

"Keep us posted about anything." Dimitrius said.

"Yeah, and do the same for us, Lt." Jack declared.

"Sure thing." Steve nodded.

"How come we couldn't get this close to White before?" Sue asked curiously.

"Change of scenery. Amazing what it can do to sharpen your mind." Jack shrugged.

"And what did White mean when he kept saying _she?"_ Bobby spoke up. "What's that about? His old flame is dead."

"I don't know, but we'd better keep our noodles razor sharp." Lucy answered.

"That's why we're here." Sue said.

* * *

"Well, Lt. What do you think?" Dimitrius asked as they walked down the hall out to Steve's car.

"Yeah, do you think we're heading in the right direction?" Mark asked.

"I strongly feel for the first time in a long while that we've truly got a chance at stopping this guy." Steve said triumphantly.

* * *

 **Whew. There! I can't wait to get to the parts where Amanda and Jessie will show up. I hope I was accurate on the biometrics thing. I got that information from the Sue Thomas FBEye episode, Spy Games. Please let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7 Of Accidents and Credit Cards

"Oh, my! _Ooohh my..."_ Tara grinned widely, shaking her head.

"Finding anything juicy in there?" Jack asked from across the room.

"Mmm-hmm!" Tara smiled, endlessly typing away on her computer.

"Well, I think I'll go grab something from the vending machine." Myles said, and made his way to the door. Levi barked cheerfully.

"He's asking if you could grab him a bag of Cheetos." Sue teased.

"Only if he's paying me for room service." Myles said. Levi moaned. Sue laughed.

"Just get it, Myles. I'll pay you for it." She smiled.

"Oh," Myles raised his eyebrows. "In that case..." and he walked out.

"It's turning out more and more beautiful, boys and girls." Tara announced. Lucy touched Sue's shoulder to direct her attention to Tara, then stood behind the computer genius. Bobby stared at her warmly, with a full smile on his face and didn't pay any attention to the apple in his hand he was peeling.

"What have you got?" Jack asked.

"Aaaggcckk!" Bobby gasped, and everyone turned to look at him. He was wincing with his eyes squeezed shut and clenching his teeth. He was tightly gripping his left wrist. His left hand was bleeding! His friends ran over to him.

"You okay?" Sue asked with worry.

"That's a pointless question." Lucy said behind her. "Someone get a dish towel...quickly!"

"Bobby?" Jack probed, touching his friend's shoulder. Bobby pursed his lips and rolled his eyes.

"I...I cut myself." He groaned.

"It's gonna be okay." Tara said softly, touching his other shoulder. "You'll be all right." Bobby secretly felt very comforted with her nearby. Levi nudged Lucy's arm and he had a white towel hanging from his mouth.

"Thanks, buddy." Lucy said, and wrapped it around Bobby's injured hand, pressing on it to make the bleeding stop.

"Does it hurt a lot, Bobby?" Jack asked.

"Not really." Bobby shook his head, but he was growing pale.

"Jack, he needs to go to the hospital." Sue said sadly. Jack nodded in agreement.

"Come on, I'll take you." He said, trying to help his friend up.

"I'm...I'm fine." Bobby shook his head again.

"Take another look at that snow white cotton, my friend." Lucy said firmly, pointing down to the towel. It was soaked with blood. "That smear isn't ketchup! You're going!" Bobby rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Here, I'll help you, Jack." Tara spoke up, gently holding Bobby's left arm and the two of them gingerly helped Bobby out the door.

"We'll be there!" Sue called. "Poor Bobby." She said wistfully. "What are you doing?"

"Finding the map directions to Community General Hospital." Lucy answered, typing on Tara's laptop. "Then, we're going to finish her spy game on White's credit card line. After that, we'll go see how poor Bobby is doing."

"Don't tell me you already have the directions." Sue raised her eyebrows.

"Yep!" Lucy smirked in victory, quickly scribbling them down on a piece of paper. "Levi, here, boy. Here, run this to Jack! Hurry!" She slipped the paper between Levi's teeth and as Sue opened the door for him, he scurried out. Myles stumbled back into the hotel suite.

"Why don't you ever teach him to watch out for pedestrians?" He muttered, slightly limping.

"He was on an emergency mission." Lucy growled. Myles furrowed his brows.

* * *

"Okay, thanks." Steve sighed. He and Dimitrius were at the fifth cab company they'd visited in the past hour. They were now getting ready to leave again.

"Well, at least this time we found something." Dimitrius said.

"Not much." Steve shook his head. "If only we could find his blasted hideout! No billing address, nothing."

"Which means he's probably staying on the move." D added. "Hey, I bet you twenty to one that Tara finds some very juicy tidbits with her research."

"You really think so?" Steve asked skeptically, but with hope and curiosity.

"You underestimate her, Lt. Sloan." Dimitrius grinned, shaking his head. "You wouldn't believe the many amazing things she's done on the job. Frankly, it kind of leaves us of the male species in the dust, but the team wouldn't be the same without her."

Steve slightly chuckled. "Sounds a lot like my father. You've got some brilliant sleuths on your task force, don't you? Where did you find them all?"

"Oh, from all over." D shrugged. "Some of them actually found us."

"Hmm." Steve nodded. "Okay, I'll bet. Twenty dollars says that Agent Williams doesn't find an address."

"You're on." D raised his eyebrows. "And I bet you that she finds _something_ just as good if not better than an address."

"It's a bet." Steve grinned slyly. Just then, Dimitrius's cell phone rang.

"It's me." He answered. His face grew serious and Steve stared at him concerned. "How bad is...okay. Yeah, I'll be there. Thanks for telling me." Then he hung up.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"Lt. Sloan, could you drive me to the hospital?' D asked. "They took Bobby there."

"What's wrong?"

"All they said is he's hurt."

"Let's go." Steve declared.

* * *

"You must have really been distracted by something, Mr. Manning, to let your knife slip like that." Jessie remarked as he continued wrapping Bobby's hand. Jack had found the hospital with little trouble thanks to Lucy's quick thinking, and Bobby had been stitched up after the bleeding was finally stopped. He was still slightly pale, but he'd heal just fine. Tara was perched in a sitting position on one of the counters while Jack stood by.

"It's not important." Bobby stated. He didn't want anyone to know that he'd been so absent-minded because he'd been gazing at Tara!

"Well, I strongly advise you to watch it next time." Jessie insisted.

"Eh, don't worry, Dr. Travis." Jack smiled wryly. "A little cut like this isn't gonna stop him. Is it, Crash?" He teased Bobby who glared at him.

"Knock. Knock. Can we come in?" Lucy asked as she and Sue peeked in from around the corner. Jessie turned to face them and couldn't stop from smiling at the lovely ladies.

"Are you family members?" Jessie asked.

"No, we're just friends." Sue chuckled.

"Sure, you can come in." Jessie said. He was surprised when he saw a friendly Golden Retriever come in with them. "Uh...a dog?" He raised his eyebrows.

"It's okay, he's a service dog." Tara spoke up.

"Yes, I'm deaf. Levi works as my ears for me." Sue smiled.

"Oh. But, how do you..." Jessie began.

"I read lips. So I can tell what you're saying as long as you face me."

"Well," Jessie grinned. "That's neat. Hi, I'm Jessie Travis." He reached out his hand to shake theirs.

"Eh, we can see that from your name tag." Sue grinned. "I'm Sue Thomas. This is Levi."

"Hey, Buddy." Jessie shook Levi's paw.

"Lucy Dotson." Lucy smiled.

"So, how's Bobby?" Sue asked, trying to bring their attention back to why they came here in the first place.

"Aw, he's all patched up." Jessie answered, finishing sealing the bandage. "That cut wasn't pleasant though." Sue glanced to Lucy with furrowed brows, having not picked up on what Jessie had said because he'd turned his head.

"He said Bobby's fine." Lucy stated. Sue walked over to her Australian friend and Levi placed his head in Bobby's lap.

"Levi says he was worried about you." Sue smiled.

"Thanks, mate." Bobby finally smiled down at his favorite pooch. "You can tell him that this was nothing. Once had a koala take a piece out of me when I was 7. This was pleasant compared to that." Jack, Tara, and Lucy all grinned and shook their heads.

"Well, there you go, Mr. Manning." Jessie said with satisfaction. "You keep that cut dry, I'll give you some instructions on how to do that. And I want to see you again in ten days to get the stitches out."

"Sure thing. Thanks for the help, mate." Bobby nodded.

"Oh, anytime." Jessie smiled, shrugging. "It was nothing. That's what I'm here for."

"Well, just look at the bright side," a suave voice spoke up. Myles walked into the emergency exam room. "Things could be a lot worse, Crash. It could've been your trigger finger! You lose that, you might as well leave the business."

"Not a chance!" Bobby shook his head, regaining some of his charm and humor back. "As long as you're in the building, I'll always manage to keep my trusty gun at hand."

"Who knows? Maybe one day you'll get to use it on him." Jack teased.

"Now wouldn't that be lovely?" Tara smirked.

"I know I'd stick around for that show!" Lucy added. Jessie just stared at them with confusion. He wasn't sure if these people were secret agents, or if they were setting up a new mafia.

"Excuse me, guys. Now I don't know what this is all about, but guns are nothing to play with." Jessie shook his head seriously. "My best friend carries one, and it's horrible whenever he gets shot." The agents all snickered.

"It's okay, Dr. Travis." Jack laughed and pulled out his badge. "We're all with the FBI." Jessie's jaw dropped and his eyes nearly popped out.

"Oh!" He gasped. "Wow! S-sorry, I...I didn't know."

"It's okay. Dr. Sloan is helping us with our investigation." Sue said.

"Wow! A murder investigation?" Jessie's ears perked up.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah. This is for professionally trained personnel only!" Myles warned. "We don't allow private citizens in on our secret work." He'd noticed the gleam in Jessie's eyes from his last question and it just reminded Myles too much of Howie.

"I agree completely!" Steve announced as he and Dimitrius came in.

"Hi, Steve." Jessie smiled.

"I've tried to tell him that for years, but it just never sinks in." Steve squinted playfully at Jessie. "I used to say it to my dad too, but I gave that up a long time ago."

"Bobby, you all right, pal?" Dimitrius asked.

"Aw, sure. It was nothing. You know, just a gash." Bobby answered, holding up his bandaged hand.

"He cut himself cutting a snack." Lucy said.

"A cut." Steve muttered. "A _cut?"_

"You realize you had me worried?" Dimitrius gaped. "I thought White had come and beat you up!"

"Well, sorry he's not as hurt as you'd hoped." Lucy said dryly. "By the way, did you guys find anything?"

"Who's White?" Jessie inquired.

"What are you holding in here, Jessie? A convention?" Amanda asked as she came in. Everyone turned to see her.

"Amanda? Jess? I was trying to wait to do this, but these are the FBI agents that I've been asked to work with in solving the Rose Man Murders." Steve spoke. "Everyone, this is Dr. Amanda Livingston, our staff pathologist here. And you've met Jessie."

"Yes, he's been very helpful." Tara answered.

"Oh, well!" Amanda smiled warmly. "It's great to meet you all." Everyone introduced themselves. "And who is this adorable fellow?" She laughed, looking at Levi.

"This is Levi. He's my hearing dog." Sue said. Amanda knelt down to the dog's level.

"Hi there, handsome!" She exclaimed. Levi offered a paw. "Aw, ha, ha, well aren't you just the cutest guy I've ever met? _Yes,_ you are." She scratched behind his ears and Levi panted happily. Myles shook his head with a pout.

"I'll never understand, just what has he got that we haven't got?" He muttered.

"A big mouth for starters." Lucy answered.

"So, ahem. Did you guys turn up anything on White from the taxi service?" Jack asked.

"A little." Dimitrius nodded.

"Who's White?" Jesse and Amanda asked together.

"The mastermind behind the Rose Man Murders." Sue stated.

"So, Mark was right about the guy on the videos?" Jessie gaped.

"He hit the nail right on the head, mate, with his brilliant powers of observation." Bobby chimed in.

"So, now we know who it is we're after, right?!" Amanda asked excitedly.

"Yes." Lucy said.

"Where are you getting this 'we' business?" Myles asked dryly. "This is classified information, Lt. You should know better than to share it openly in front of private citizens."

"I know, I _should."_ Steve groaned. "But they have powerful ways of prying it out of me."

"What? Do they strap you to a gurney and force you to talk under torturous medical experiments?" Myles asked sarcastically. Lucy hit him.

"No, I'm thankful to say they haven't come up with anything that drastic." Steve chuckled back. "At least not to _me."_

"Oh, we've helped Steve solve countless murders. Haven't we, Steve?" Jessie cocked his head proudly. Steve made a face and rolled his eyes.

"Uh, back to the facts," He interjected. "Only one taxi cab rendered service to White in the past month."

"Only _one?"_ Lucy repeated. "I find that hard to believe."

"Look, uh, it's getting a bit crowded in here, and you never know when a critical emergency might need this room." Steve stated. "Why don't we move to a more convenient location? We can talk about it there."

"Okay. Whatever you say." Jack agreed, and the large group emerged from the examining room out into the hall, heading for the doctor's lounge. Nurses and other onlookers stared at them curiously as they passed by. They all filled into the doctor's lounge and made themselves comfortable. "So, you said that White used only one taxi?"

"Yep." Steve answered, opening his can of soda.

"Only he used his alias Ronnie Nelson." Dimitrius added.

"When was this? And where did he take him?" Tara asked.

"Unfortunately, the driver who was on call that day is out of town right now." D sighed. "So we couldn't talk to him."

"Strike one." Myles huffed.

"However, according to the company's route records," Steve mentioned, "Jeff White engaged a taxi on the 4th of the month."

"Which is about the time he arrived in Los Angeles." Sue added.

"Uh-huh." Steve nodded. "He rode 30 minutes to a fast-food stop on the west side of LA, and there the cab driver left him after getting paid."

"How did he pay?" Bobby inquired.

"I knew you were going to ask that." D smiled. "Surprisingly, he paid with cash for the taxi fare."

" _But,_ I'll bet you he paid for his lunch with a credit card!" Jack spoke up.

"So, White knew he was going to need the money for the taxi fare." Sue said, confused. Jessie and Amanda stared at her inquisitively. "Jeff White uses his credit card for practically everything. He almost never uses cash." They both nodded.

" _Hey!"_ Lucy interjected. "You guys haven't heard the best part yet. Isn't anyone the least bit interested in all the good stuff Tara found on her computer?"

"Yeah!" Dimitrius exclaimed. "Did you find anything good?" Lucy smirked to Tara and pulled a full sheet of paper out of her purse.

"You bet!" Lucy grinned. "You ready for this?" Just then, a nurse passing the lounge out the door, carrying a tray of patient's food, walked by and Levi, sniffing the air, absent-mindedly followed her.

"Hey, Levi!" Sue called after him, following. "Where do you think you're going?" Levi walked right behind the nurse and grunted. The nurse inquisitively looked behind her and gasped in astonishment when she saw the dog, causing her to lose her balance and drop the tray of food. Levi immediately started cleaning up the mess. "Levi!" Sue gasped and ran over to him. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said to the frowning nurse. "Are you all right? I...I'll clean it up. I'm really sorry about that. He's not called a wonder dog for nothing." Jessie and Steve helped the nurse to her feet.

"Thanks." She muttered to them.

"You okay, Janice?" Jessie asked.

"I suppose." She sighed. "That your dog, miss?"

"Yeah. Sorry." Sue said nervously. " _Levi,_ no. Come here." She leaned down and slowly pried him away from the splattered residue on the floor. "Levi, what was that all about?" She scolded him.

"You know, this could fall under the heading of improper guest etiquette." Lucy laughed. Amanda laughed and grabbed some paper towels from a nearby cleaning cart.

"Here, I'll do that." Sue insisted.

"It's okay, Sue. It's no trouble." Amanda smiled.

"No dogs allowed in the hospital." Janice scolded. "Now, I've got to go refill Mr. Johnson's meal." And she walked away. Sue was so embarrassed and sheepishly glanced at Jack out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm really sorry about that, Dr. Travis." Sue said earnestly.

"It's okay." Jessie shook his head. "Accidents happen. Besides, Levi's the one who should be sorry." Everyone glanced at the dog who just kept licking his lips.

"Dr. Travis!" A disgruntled voice shouted from down the hall, coming toward them. A stout man with dark, curly hair, wearing glasses, dressed in a suit, and carrying folders in his arms, walked briskly up to them. Apparently, he wasn't pleased. "Dr. Travis, what is the meaning of this?" He frowned. "You know we do not allow canines in the hospital. And this one seems to have made an attempt at sabotage."

"Easy there, Norman." Steve rolled his eyes.

"Lt. Sloan, you know our policy, and it's my job to see that we uphold the rules for reputation of ethics."

"Well, I think you could make an exception in this case." Amanda spoke up. "This is a service dog, Norman."

"A...service dog?" Norman Briggs sputtered.

"Yes. You see, I'm deaf." Sue explained. "Levi is my hearing dog. And I'm very sorry for the mess he made." Norman's expression changed when he saw the pretty young woman with the soft voice.

"Oh, think nothing of it, Miss." He smiled. "That's what we have custodians for." Then he turned his head to the janitor pulling a trash bag off the cleaning cart. "Young man! Can't you see that an unpleasant mess has been committed here? Clean it up now! What do you think I'm paying you for?" The janitor rolled his eyes and obeyed Norman. "Hospital administrator." Norman shook hands with Sue and Lucy.

"Jack Hudson." Jack announced. "We're with the FBI." He showed his badge.

"FBI?" Norman gasped, dropping the folders to the floor. "What's this about?" He asked in a panic, facing Steve. "Are we being accused of malpractice, or embezzlement, or fraud?"

"For Pete's sake, Norman. Calm down." Amanda shook her head.

"No, we're assisting Lt. Sloan in a murder investigation, that's all." Jack smiled.

"Don't tell me a murder's been committed here in the hospital." Norman groaned.

"Norman? The serial killer we've been after? You know, the Rose Man Killer?" Steve tried to clarify things.

"Good gracious." Norman stated. "Well, it's good to meet you, Agent Hudson. Ladies." Then he started to walk away.

 _Whoa, I wonder if he'd like to move upward as administrator,_ Lucy thought. _I don't think I'd mind if he was our paper-pusher. He'd certainly be easier to work with than Randy Pitts!_ "We'd better go back." She said aloud. "We still have some delicious clues to lick up."

" _Dr. Sloan! How many times have I told you about..."_ Norman's voice rang through the hall behind them. Steve shook his head grinning.

"Let's go." He said, and they started to walk back to the lounge. Sue was picked up her purse from the floor and was fiddling through it to make sure she had everything. She didn't hear the commotion behind her and was completely unaware that Mark was zooming straight toward her...on roller skates! He was greeting the nurses and other staff as he passed by, but then his jaw dropped when he saw Sue not moving out of his way.

"Look out! Doctor coming through!" He called ahead, but Sue didn't respond. Mark tried without success to slow down and flailed his arms out, trying to grab something, _anything_ to bring him to a halt. Jack and the others looked on from a distance when they heard his voice.

"Sue, move!" Jack absent-mindedly shouted to her, forgetting for a second about her deafness. He started running to her.

"Oh, boy." Steve shook his head and followed.

"Levi! Get Sue!" Lucy called.

"Look out!" Mark yelled, only 3 feet away from her now. Levi stood on his hind feet and quickly shoved Sue against the wall, just in time.

"Levi," Sue scolded, confused then gaped in astonishment as Mark flew passed her and an older, stocky, dark-skinned lady in scrubs was running after him, hollering. Steve pushed Jack and himself up against the wall, and as Mark raced closer, Jessie, Amanda, and Lucy all backed up. Unfortunately, with the doctor's lounge at the end of the hallway, Myles was just stepping outside of it when... _BAM!_ Mark rammed right into him!

The two men were sprawled out together in a tangled heap of arms and legs on the floor. Myles was on his back with his right leg turned to the left, while Mark was on top of him, leaning on his side, with his roller skates intertwined between Myles's legs. They were drawing an extremely unwanted amount of attention. "Dr. Sloan! I've forbidden you over and over to take a ride around the hospital on those things, but you never listen! And now look what you've done!" Norman fumed.

"I...isn't that your...father?" Jack sputtered to Steve.

"Pfft." Steve rolled his eyes. "Who else?" Then they walked over to help.

"I told you, doc." Delores shook her head, standing with her feet apart and her hands on her hips. "I told you _this time,_ not to do it. But no, you just had to go ahead." Amanda was smiling widely and Lucy was trying to stifle a loud snort of laughter.

"D...Dr. Sloan?!" Myles gasped from underneath the elderly man.

"A...Agent Leland?!" Mark equally gasped in shock.

"Myles? Are you okay?" Sue asked, worried.

"I feel bruised and battered in a grueling way, and I'll probably be transferred as a prop on the obstacle course, but other than that, I'm a picture of perfect health." Myles joked dryly. He'd spoken so quickly that Sue didn't pick up on every word, and she glanced to Jack, confused.

"He's normal." Jack whispered with a grin. Steve stood over them with his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowed, but he was playfully grinning.

"Okay, Dad. You know the deal." He said mischievously. "You don't play safely with your toys, they get put up on the closet shelf. Okay, hand them over." Mark stared at the floor wide-eyed with embarrassment, and covered his mouth. He looked like a guilty child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

* * *

"Well, I guess Mr. Briggs won't be out to reprimand _Levi_ for creating havoc anymore." Lucy giggled with her arms crossed.

"At least in this case, not when a dog works for the FBI." Jessie added.

"Look, Agent Leland, would it do any good to tell how sorry I am?" Mark feebly smiled at Myles who was sitting at the table in the doctor's lounge with his right leg perched on it and an ice pack strapped to his ankle. Myles glared at the friendly older man.

"If we weren't working together on the same side, Dr. Sloan, I'd easily sue you for damages." Myles huffed. "However, that won't get us anywhere in catching Jeff White."

"Speaking of Jeff White, do you guys turn up anything else?" Mark asked. Steve filled him in on what he and Dimitrius had found out.

"Before anymore trouble starts," Amanda cleared her throat, "I believe Miss Dotson had some important info to share with us."

" _Thank you."_ Lucy grinned. "According to the records that Tara was able to pull up, it appears that White uses his credit card to pay for everything from a candy bar in the gas station to copy paper and ink cartridges for his computer."

"Except for the taxi fare." Sue interjected.

"Correct." Tara said. "Apparently, he eats all his meals out, likes to shop for his weekly outfits twice a week, and is obviously very devoted to the convenience stores. He never shops in the supermarkets, and keeps a low profile around the big department stores. Plus, he never takes a cab. He doesn't own a cell phone either."

"Except for the fact that he has a computer. There's a loop hole for him we hadn't found 'til now." Dimitrius said. "You see, several times back in DC, we were tracing White through his computer, and almost got him, but he always managed to ditch us whenever we were closing in."

"So, we find out where his computer is sending signal from and we've got him." Jessie announced.

"That's where we have a problem." Sue spoke up. "According to his spending records, White doesn't have any hotel bills, not even so much as a cheap motel, or even a rented apartment. No car rental either."

"I have to give White credit, he's certainly smart when it comes to playing hide-and-seek." Mark remarked.

"Yeah, and not one ounce of sloppiness on his part." Jack muttered.

"So when White came to LA as Ronnie Nelson and with the disguise he had, he figured no one would recognize him, even when the FBI spread out a dragnet." Bobby stated. "He thought he was far enough away that we couldn't touch him, so he wasn't worried about being followed or checked out."

"And since the police couldn't identify who they were dealing with, he could walk the streets in his coverup free as the air and no one would think twice about it." Amanda added.

"We only checked the dark hairs for any local John Doe's through the database." Steve said. "It wasn't until we were told of the killings in the other states that I gave thought that this guy could possibly be from out of town."

"For the passed months, White has been making sure he keeps a full supply of sterile gloves." Tara said.

"Well, that makes sense. Didn't you say, Steve that no prints have ever been found on the wine glasses except those of the victims?" Amanda asked.

"That's right," Steve answered.

"That's the way it always is." Myles said.

"But get this," Sue smiled. "The gloves have been a consistent item on White's shopping list for some time now. But, the trash bags are another story. White's list usually consists of his fast-food meals, clothes for the week, and fake black roses, and copy paper. The trash bags have recently made their way to that list."

"So, if he's laying in a supply of trash bags, then he _is_ getting more bold about exposing his handiwork." Jack announced, wide-eyed. "If he's never used them before, then it's most possible that it will be for future victims when he dumps in public places."

"But what about the previous victims?" Amanda asked. "If the victims have never been found at the same houses, that proves he would have to have moved them."

"Yet, the trash bags are in none of his previous credit records." Sue commented.

"So, just _how_ does he move them?" Jessie asked.

"And from _where?"_ Mark asked too.

"What about the poison?" Steve asked. "There are no signs of chloroform purchases in there?"

"Nothing." Lucy shook her head.

"Even back on the East coast, we didn't find any." Myles stated.

"So, there's no point in checking the pharmacies." Amanda sighed.

"So, how does he get his hands on the stuff?" Jessie asked. "Unless he's learned how to concoct it himself."

"His partner." Mark spoke, pointing in the air with his index finger. "That's got to be it. We aren't sure yet what his partner's profile is, but I bet you any kind of money that he could be the one supplying White with the poison!"

"That would make more sense of why we found that he has a partner." Bobby agreed. "He's always been a lone wolf, but if he's never bought the stuff, then..."

"Then this new John Doe could be the anchor in the food chain." Jack finished.

"But where would _he_ get them?" Sue asked.

"Sounds like we need to grab our pickaxes and start digging deeper." Tara shrugged.

"If we dig hard enough, we may just stumble upon a delicious gold rush." Myles added. "That _is,_ if I can get around with a bum ankle!" His eyes narrowed at Mark.

"You know, Delores usually doesn't care if I stroll around the hospital on those roller skates," Mark commented, "but this time she did warn me not to do it. She said that this time she just had a strong premonition that I'd better not do it. Guess I should've listened to her."

"Just remember, _Doctor,_ you may carry the vials that keep this society going, but _I_ just happen to carry a gun." Myles warned. "Make sure we don't run into each other unexpectedly in a dark alley and charge at each other. I may just be forced to take action!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Mark chuckled.

"You do that, Agent Leland, and I'll see to it that you're rolled into this place on a stretcher and needing heavy sedation." Jessie teased. Myles just squinted.

"Let's just hope and pray that we can pinpoint White's hiding place before he finds another victim!" Sue exclaimed.


	8. Chapter 8 Kindred Spirits

**I knew what I wanted for this chapter but it took a while to piece it together. I apologize for the delay, but I sure hope that the extra length in this chapter will make up for it! Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Well, we're not accomplishing anything just standing around here." Steve sighed. "I need to get back to the precinct, and update them on what we've got so far."

"You mind if I go with you, Lt. Sloan?" Jack asked.

"I guess not." Steve shrugged. "What? You want to see what us Metro PD are made of and compare skills?"

"No." Jack shook his head.

"I'll come with ya, Jack." Bobby added.

"You know, you guys keep this up and I'll have to start charging you taxi fare." Steve said sarcastically. "I'm not a bus service."

"Well, I guess we'll head back to the hotel and see what we can come up with by the time you get back." Lucy stated, then squinted at Myles. "And tend to our poor invalid." Myles made a face and tried to rise to his feet.

"Would you like a wheelchair, Agent Leland?" Jessie cheerfully offered. Myles stared at him unamused. The shorty here with a degree was making him quite irritable.

"I can assure all of you pathetic do-gooders and pillow fluffers that the Lelands are not prone to molly-coddling." Myles huffed cockily. "If we're fit, if we can shoot a gun straight, if we can hold up our respected reputations in society, then there is no need for frivolous exaggeration in wondering about our health."

"Oh, please." Lucy cringed, waving him off. "Enough of the editorial." Mark just raised is eyebrows and grinned.

"Pillow fluffers?" Amanda asked with furrowed brows.

"I'm perfectly able to take care of myself." Myles smirked smugly then stepped forward and slipped.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, tiger." Dimitrius smiled widely, helping him up.

"I'm all right, I'm all right." Myles protested.

"Ahem." Sue cleared her throat. "Jack? Let us know if anything comes up."

"Same goes for you." Jack responded.

"Hey, why don't you all come over to my place in Malibu tonight, and we could discuss the case more thoroughly?" Mark offered with a smile.

"I'm not gonna argue, not with a chance to see the beach up close and personal." Bobby said.

"That sounds like a good idea, Dr. Sloan." Sue smiled. "Jack? Dimitrius? What do you think?"

"I'd say let's go for it." D responded.

"Yep, me too." Jack nodded.

"Good. Then it's settled. Can we go now?" Steve asked impatiently. "I'll see you later, Dad."

"Bye, Steve." Mark grinned.

"Hey, uh...Steve? You, uh...need any help?" Jessie asked eagerly with puppy dog eyes.

"You stay here, Jess," Steve squinted suspiciously, "and tend to your patients. You can visit _later._ _You_ too." He pointed at Amanda. She just shrugged.

"Steve, you can trust me." She said smoothly.

"Yeah, I know I can." Steve said skeptically and he walked out with Jack and Bobby.

"Well, I'll walk you out." Mark said, and Sue, Lucy, Dimitrius, Levi, Tara, Amanda, Jessie, and Myles, who absolutely refused to ride in a wheelchair, hobbled along after Mark.

"So, you two actually help Dr. Sloan and his son solve crimes?" Tara asked Amanda and Jessie.

"You bet!" Jessie piped up. "We're almost like undercover detectives."

"Unofficially, of course." Lucy remarked.

"Well, as the assistant county medical examiner, I do autopsies on many of the murder victims that Steve investigates." Amanda said.

"Sounds like your work is vital to his assistance." Dimitrius said.

"Yeah." Amanda nodded.

"I still don't see where _he_ fits into the picture." Myles groaned, pointing at Jessie who rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Jessie sputtered defensively. "I'm smarter than I look. I've become like Steve's trusty side-kick, haven't I, Mark?"

Mark covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. "Jessie has been helpful." He grinned.

"Thank you!" Jessie smiled triumphantly.

"Though I think Steve would consider him to be more of a tag-along." Mark added. Jessie frowned.

"Well, tag-a longs are not field agents." Myles said in a patronizing voice. "They don't make it to Quantico, so don't go getting any wild ideas." He squinted at Jessie.

"Pfft. I can find my way around obstacles." Jessie retorted back. "However, if you don't appreciate my help, you'll just have to suffer."

"I'd rather endure the pain and suffering than be made a spectacle of." Myles answered. Dimitrius snorted in laughter, along with Tara.

 _He's parading himself and he doesn't want to be made a spectacle of?_ Mark thought in amusement.

"Cut it out, you two." Amanda and Lucy said together in annoyance.

"He started it." Jessie pointed with his index finger.

"All right, all right." Dimitrius spoke up. "That's enough, boys. Dr. Travis, _if you do_ find any information you think might help us, we'd appreciate it. I'm sure you want to see this killer caught as much as we do."

"You have no idea." Jessie agreed. They all walked together to the main entrance where Mark, Amanda, and Jessie halted.

"Well, Dr. Sloan, we'll look forward to working with you and your son, tonight." Dimitrius said.

"So will we." Mark said.

"I've always wanted to visit Malibu, California." Tara stated casually. "I guess this serial killer chase can bring us many unexpected, convenient opportunities."

"Yeah, just think of it." Jessie agreed with a grin. "If it wasn't for Jeff White, we might never have met."

"Too bad it wasn't under more pleasant circumstances." Sue remarked.

"You're so right, Miss Thomas." Mark added.

"Please, you can all me Sue. And I'm really sorry about the trouble Levi caused earlier. I'll certainly try to make sure he doesn't sabotage your house, Dr. Sloan."

"Ah, ha, ha, that's all right." Mark chuckled. "And please, call me Mark. Dr. Sloan sounds so formal."

"Deal." Sue smiled, signing with her fingers.

"Well, looking forward to see you tonight." Lucy nodded. "We'd better shuffle off."

"See you later, Doc...er, Mark." Tara grinned, shaking his hand. "Dr. Livingston, Dr. Travis, it was good to meet both of you. I'm sure we'll be seeing you around." She waved happily.

"The name's Jessie." Jessie smiled widely. "And it's Amanda." Tara nodded.

"Well, let's go. We'll be in touch." Dimitrius said. They all started to walk out.

"Oh, Miss, uh...Sue!" Mark called. Levi jumped up on Sue with his front paws and turned his head back to the good doctor.

"Oh, yes? Did you say something to me?" Sue asked.

"Yes. If you should need anything while you all are here, here's my number." Mark said, handing her his business card.

"Oh, thanks. You too." And she pulled out her little notebook, quickly scribbling her phone number on it, then handed it to him.

* * *

"And you have yet to come up with an address?" Captain Newman asked Steve, wishing they had more to go on.

"Yes, sir." Steve grunted. "Unfortunately, we have no leads yet as to where this Jeff White fellow is hiding out. But I assure you, we're working on it."

"You see, Captain, the thing is, there are no traces of hotel rooms, motels, cell phone calls, or such on any of White's credit card records." Jack said quietly. "We know this much, he does have a computer."

"Unfortunately, we can't trace its signal." Bobby added.

"However, we detected that he's adding black trash bags to his usual list of items for the week." Jack stated. "And that's new. Because, so far his list has been straight clothes, gloves, and fast-food. We believe this is a new development." Captain Newman didn't seem impressed.

"Can't you come up with something better than that, Detective Sloan?" He muttered.

"Agent Hudson pointed out that the latest victim was dumped an a pattern irregular to White's normal killing ritual." Steve explained. "Which gives us reason to believe that he is becoming more expository about his dirty work."

"So, you're saying that he's not being so secretive anymore?" Captain Newman raised his eyebrows.

"It's a guess at best," Bobby replied, "but yes, that's what we believe is going on."

Captain Newman sighed heavily. "Okay. You gentlemen keep working on it. But I want something more concrete than this...as soon as possible! Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Steve, Jack, and Bobby all nodded together. "Oh, uh, say, Captain? Do you recognize this guy?" Bobby asked and pulled out a blown-up surveillance photo of the John Doe who'd met with White. Captain Newman's eyes widened.

"Why do you ask?" He asked suspiciously.

"He's been spotted more than once meeting with White at lunch time in different food joints," Jack explained. "Including after Missy Frazier's murder this morning."

"We're thinking he could be White's partner, who's getting him the chloroform for the killings." Bobby said. "But there are no pharmacy purchases on White's credit records."

"Which means this John Doe could be illegally providing him with the drugs." Steve finished.

"I can't give you anything definite at the moment," Newman said, "but I have to admit, this guy does look familiar. Let me run his face through the database and see what I can find. I'll get back with you as soon as I do. You're dismissed." And he rose to his feet.

"Thanks, Captain." Jack sighed. "We'll keep you informed too."

"And we need to flush out this guy, _before_ he abducts and kills someone else!" Captain Newman growled. "I'm sure you all realize that."

"We're doing everything we can, sir, to validate that." Jack nodded. Then they exited the office and Steve shut the door, then they walked down the hall together. "Well, we might have caught a break." Jack said light-heartedly.

"Maybe." Steve huffed. "Even if we've got something on John Doe, what we need is a location! We get that, it solves a whole load of problems."

"Yeah, well, it isn't the first time we've had a clueless time-table on our hands, at the cost of others' expense." Bobby remarked. "We've been through rougher spots than this, and still came out on top."

"Yeah, me too." Steve sighed as they continued to walk on. "But how many more victims is it gonna take for us to figure out where this creep is?"

"Maybe John Doe will tell us." Jack chimed in.

"Hey, sorry if we made you look bad in front of your supervisor." Bobby said.

"Eh, we just gave him the facts, the evidence we have." Steve shook his head. "That's what we're supposed to do."

"He didn't seem too thrilled about the progress we _have_ made in such a short time." Jack stated. "Of course, I don't feel too rested about it myself."

"Me neither." Bobby shook his head.

"He feels responsible." Steve said simply.

"Mmm-hmm. Who doesn't?" Bobby responded. "The worst part of the job when dealing with a serial killer who enjoys playing hide-and-seek: you know he's out there on the loose, you know it's your responsibility to stop him, but you have absolutely no idea where to look or who will be next on his list. And you want to protect all the citizens out there, realizing you can't."

"Yep. Well, being depressed about it won't get us very far." Steve huffed.

"Hey, we're gonna find this guy, okay?" Jack halted, reaching his hand up on Steve's shoulder. "Now, he may seem to have the upper hand right now, but with the dark side he's on, he's gotta go down eventually." Steve nodded silently.

"And, hey, we might never have been able to find out that he was really here, if it hadn't been for your dad." Bobby added, smiling. Steve started to smile. "He seems like a bright old bird, and with his intelligent reasoning, you have no idea how glad we are that he's with us on this case."

"You're wrong, Manning. I _do_ know." Steve corrected him.

"Hey, we mean that!" Jack declared fervently, looking Steve square in the eyes. Steve was still slightly guarded about these federal agents. Many times in the past, the ones he'd worked with seemed to walk all over them when he and Mark tried to help, either that or they'd flatter them for their assistance then leave them in the dust when it came down to the real take-downs. Yet, he had to admit, these guys seemed different. Jack and Bobby were pretty good men from what Steve could see, and that they truly cared about what they were doing, like the cause they believed in and fought for was more important to them than their public egos. And so far, they'd been extremely knowledgeable and helpful in possibly stalling that cockroach Jeff White. Their warmth and seemingly honest manners made Steve feel that he could fully trust them.

"We're gonna get him, Steve." Jack said reassuringly, not sure what had not prevented him from calling the lieutenant by his first name. Maybe he felt the same way about this guy as Steve was thinking of them.

"Hey, if we stick together, how can we lose, huh?" Bobby grinned. Steve's spirits were lifting back up, and so was his determination.

"Thanks, guys." He smiled warmly as they resumed their walk. "And you're right: we _are_ gonna get him!"

"So, do you always have fun when you try to get information from the bad guys?" Jack asked curiously, trying to change the subject.

"Not always. But sometimes I enjoy playing hard ball." Steve answered. Bobby put his arm around Steve's shoulder.

"Aw, now are you telling me that a detective as charming and intelligent as your witty self can't use friendlier tactics?" Bobby asked sarcastically. Steve pursed his lips.

"Such as?" He rose his eyebrows.

"Like the time we interrogated that ATM robber, and Bobby scared him into talking." Jack grinned widely.

"Oh, I can assure you we know how to do that." Steve said. " _Very effectively."_

"Yeah, well, this fellow was armed with a water pistol and pretty timid too." Jack remarked.

"But I did get an arrest, and a confession out of him." Bobby announced proudly.

"That you did." Jack agreed.

"Okay, okay, Koala boy, how'd you do it?" Steve asked, grinning.

"So, anyway, I tell this drongo that we have surveillance videos of him robbing an ATM," Bobby explained, clearly enjoying himself. "He said he heard that the robber was wearing a ski mask." Steve raised his eyebrows.

"So, super fed here told the dimwit that we had him," Jack smiled widely. "Because the lab could optically peel the mask off the picture."

"W-what?" Steve asked, smiling.

"Oh, he told the guy that the lab could peel the mask off the picture, revealing his face." Jack grinned.

"Yeah, and he believed me!" Bobby exclaimed. "This little bloke caved in right there!" Steve shook his head, laughing.

"Sounds like one of my dad's stunts." He snickered. "Like the sweat DNA."

"Sweat DNA? Hmm. I don't believe I've ever heard of that one before." Bobby remarked curiously.

"Probably because it doesn't exist." Jack replied.

"That's true," Steve responded, with a less heavier spirit at the moment, "however, it was enough to scare a gang member killer into sweating like crazy and running from the police. My dad had walked into that place cool as a cucumber, like he was bullet proof. He has a bad habit of doing that."

"But, hey, it worked didn't it?" Jack asked. Steve glared at him.

"Oh, please." He rolled his eyes. "That's what _he_ always says."

* * *

Steve informed Cheryl of all their latest developments, and she said she'd get back with him as soon as they had info on John Doe. Steve started walking outside with Bobby and Jack again. "So, Sloan, you married?" Jack asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, no." Steve shook his head with a small grin. "Not yet."

"Aw, are you saying that a fine detective specimen such as yourself doesn't have the women fighting over him?" Bobby teased.

"A lot of the women I wanted to go out with couldn't stand me being a cop, and others I ended up having to arrest." Steve hung his head for a moment. "So, how about _you_ two fellows? Either of you married yet?"

"Nope." Bobby answered casually. "But I have a neat girl in my life. Actually, she's the first real girlfriend I've ever had. And she's amazing!"

"I'm sure she is." Steve nodded. "What does she do?"

"Investigative journalist, so she sometimes helps us out in cases."

"What about you...Sparky?" Steve asked with an evil grin. Jack's eyes widened.

"W-what about me?" Jack asked nervously.

"You married?"

"Not yet." Jack said quickly, hoping the snickering detective wouldn't pursue the origin of his nickname.

"You got a girl?"

"Mmm... _no."_ Jack kept his eyes on the ceiling.

"I thought for sure that you and Agent Thomas..."

"We...uh…." Jack was getting tongue-tied. "Sue and I... _work_ good together. Eh...not to brag, but...we're really good partners. We make a really good team." Steve glanced skeptically to Bobby, who grinned and shook his head. He patted his chest and scrunched up his nose.

"She seems like a really nice girl." Steve smirked.

"Yeah. She is." Jack said wistfully, smiling but walked quicker ahead of them. Behind Jack's back, Steve pointed at him curiously and Bobby nodded wide-eyed, indicating that Jack and Sue were more than friends. Steve squinted in satisfaction and grinned.

* * *

"Hard to believe we've only been here for almost eight hours and how much progress we _have_ made." Bobby remarked as they reached Steve's car.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Steve agreed. "This _is_ still only your first day here."

"Well, we have about eight more before it's over, and personally I'd like to end the day with something more concrete to go on than mere guesses." Jack stated.

"And something to eat." Bobby nodded.

"I think we can fix that. I know where we can get some fine Chinese food on the way." Steve said. "Of course, I'll have to check with Dad first."

"Steve! Steve!" Cheryl Banks shouted, rushing up to him in the parking lot. The three guys turned toward her. "Not so fast, Sherlock. You'd better take a look at this." She panted, handing Steve a file.

"What do you got?" Jack asked curiously, coming around from the other side of the car as he, Bobby, and Steve both read the papers in front of them.

"Gentlemen," Cheryl grinned satisfactorily with her arms crossed over her chest, "I introduce you to Mr. Howard Lance."

"Whew. That was fast!" Bobby exclaimed, wide-eyed.

" _Yes,_ it was." Cheryl agreed, moving her hands to her hips.

"Wow. Looks like our Mr. Lance has a nice rap sheet going for him." Jack stated.

"Uh-huh." Steve grunted. "Fired from 4 different pharmacies in 4 different states, for stealing and illegally distributing narcotics out on the street."

"Sounds like you bloodhounds are right on track!" Cheryl smirked. "Sounds like your theory of Mr. Lance being White's partner and narcotic delivery wagon is open shut."

"Well, I'd say our lucky day just got even luckier." Bobby stated.

"I suppose you wouldn't have been lucky enough to come up with an address?" Jack asked halfheartedly.

"Negative." Cheryl muttered. "He has been on the state police watch list but they haven't been able to nail him. He just vanished."

"And as we already know, the little yobbo pays with cash instead of the lousy credit card." Bobby sighed.

"Well, this is better than nothing." Steve mentioned. "At least now we know who we're dealing with. That's two main pieces of the puzzle solved."

Jack pulled out his cell phone. "Lucy? Jack here. I need you to get a hold of all the pharmacies in the state and tell them to notify us immediately if they get a guy seeking employment answering White's partner's description. Yeah, his name is Howard Lance, uh...hang on." Jack moved the phone away from his ear, "Detective Banks, could you forward the info you got to Agent Williams? Here's her address." Jack handed Cheryl Tara's card.

"Sure thing." Cheryl nodded.

"Lucy, we're sending the info on our John Doe. Oh, yeah it's him all right. No, we don't have an address. Show the information to Dr. Sloan when you get to his house. We'll meet you there. Oh, and uh...see if you can pull up any non-legit pharmacy companies too. If he's paranoid, he might go to them. Okay. Thanks." Jack hung up.

"Cheryl, you mind if I take this?" Steve asked, holding up the file.

"Go on, take it. We've got copies inside." Cheryl shrugged.

"Thanks. Well, we'd better get going."

"Hey, good work." Jack smiled to Cheryl, signing with his hands. Bobby gave her a thumb's up.

"Appreciate it." He said.

"No problem." Cheryl grinned and returned inside the station.

"Well, fellows? Let's go get something to eat!" Steve declared hungrily.

* * *

"You certainly have a beautiful place here, Dr. Sloan." Lucy smiled widely after receiving a tour of the beach house.

"Thank you." Mark replied. "I think so too."

"How much does it take to keep a place like this up?" Dimitrius asked.

Mark scrunched up his nose. "Ooo, I'd rather not say." He shook his head.

"I like your Sherlock Holmes collection." Sue remarked. "It's very unique. Especially the ivory scalpel."

"My wife gave that to me for a birthday present."

"Arthur Conan Doyle." Tara read the inscription on the figurine. "Mph. You seem to be quite the mastermind enthusiast, doctor." She grinned.

"Oh, ho, ho, but I'm afraid I'm not capable of half the remarkable, complicated things you do, Miss Williams." Mark shook his head. Tara just shrugged.

* * *

Steve pulled in the driveway. "Well, here we are." He stated, turning off the ignition.

"Bly me!" Bobby exclaimed in fascination at the fancy house, hard to believe he was actually here. "She's a beauty, ain't she?"

"Well, looks like Sue and them are already here." Jack noted the rental car in the driveway. "So, Steve? You got a place of your own yet?"

"I used to," Steve answered. "It was just a little apartment, not much to brag about. Of course, that was before I moved here."

"You mean you're the owner of this beach house?" Jack sputtered incredulously. How could the guy possibly afford to live in Malibu, in a mansion like this, on a cop's salary?

"No." Steve corrected him. "Dad owns it. I just sort of hang around, and live off of his cooking." He grinned.

"Whoa! You never told us that this was _your_ house too!" Jack exclaimed.

"Didn't I?" Steve asked proudly. "Well, now you know. I have my own apartment downstairs in the basement. It's not much to look at, but it works."

"So, I guess you and your dad get a long pretty good." Bobby said quietly.

"Sure." Steve shrugged. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the one playing the role of the father, but he keeps life from getting dull."

"So, have you and your dad always gotten along so good?" Bobby asked glumly, feeling a slight painful lump in his stomach.

"I guess so." Steve responded. "Sure, we've had our difficult moments, and our disagreements, but I guess we've both worked at resolving our differences." Bobby smiled sadly, then walked on ahead of them. "I take it he doesn't get along with his father?" Steve asked Jack thoughtfully.

Jack stared back at Steve thoughtfully. "Well, you can't blame him after how things turned out." Jack answered in a hushed tone.

"What happened?" Steve asked in concern, staring at Jack.

"His dad-well, biological dad-walked out on Bobby and his mom on his sixth birthday party." Jack explained sadly. Steve's brows furrowed in sympathy and anger. "The next day, he showed up, packed his bags and left. No apology, no kiss good-bye, nothing." Steve suddenly felt really bad for the friendly Australian. He couldn't imagine the pain, anger, and confusion he'd be put through if Mark had ever left him! Of course, Mark would _never_ do that! But, on the other hand, that's probably what Bobby thought too that morning on his sixth birthday. Then just like a dropped bomb, he'd been abandoned by the man he respected, the man who should've shown him how to be a good, decent person. Steve couldn't help feeling a flash of anger at Bobby's father, Mac for abandoning his loved ones. How could any man do such a thing? It was beyond Steve's understanding, actually something he didn't even want to try to understand, and he couldn't help feeling a stronger respect, admiration, and thankfulness for his own father, whom he worshiped, and whom others including Jessie envied Steve for.

"Did they ever make up?" Steve asked hopefully. "Has he ever seen him since then?"

"Not 'til Bobby was working for the FBI." Jack replied. "They ran into each other and tried to make amends, and it seemed to be working, but then Mac got into legal trouble. His own fault though. Then, a few years ago, he showed up again, in jail. He tried to act friendly but Bobby would have none of it. However, Mac _did_ help us capture a fugitive from justice that we'd been after for a very long time: Simon Hoffman."

"I heard about him." Steve said. "But, how are things between Bobby and his dad now?"

"They're working on it." Jack sighed. "At least now Bobby will talk to him of his own free will, but the past still hurts. But at least they're _both_ making efforts."

"Yeah." Steve sighed. Then they entered through the front door. "Hey, Dad! We're here!" He called out. They were greeted by the barks of a dog and Levi came pattering excitedly up to Jack and Bobby, which cut Steve off guard for a minute, not used to having a dog around.

"Hey, buddy." Jack smiled, rubbing Levi's ears.

"Aw, did ya miss us, mate? Huh? Did you think we got lost?" Bobby asked cheerily, kneeling down and running his fingers through the dog's fur. "I beg your pardon. What? You saying we don't know our way around? I'm crushed at your lack of confidence in us." Bobby stood up. "Yeah, come on, mate." And he left the foyer, heading to the kitchen with Jack and Steve following.

"Oh, there you are, Levi!" Sue sighed heavily in relief. "He didn't break anything, did he?" She asked anxiously, dreading a repeat scenario from the hospital earlier.

"Nah." Bobby shook his head.

"Good." Sue declared, wide-eyed. "You've got to watch that tail-wagging. It can be a problem. Come here, boy. Sit." Levi obeyed.

"Anybody hungry?" Mark asked.

"Bring it on, doc. I'm starved!" Bobby exclaimed, slapping his hands together. "What do you have available?"

"Hope you like roast chicken and potato wedges with string beans." Lucy answered. "Cause that's what's on the menu." Bobby's eyes lit up.

"I'm so hungry I'm ready to eat my badge." Jack joked. Steve rolled his eyes with a grin.

"Well, everything's ready." Mark announced. After asking, Sue blessed the food and prayed for guidance for all of them. Everyone was in the sitting room, eating away and discussing the new information that the guys had found at the police station. Unfortunately, Lucy and Tara hadn't been so lucky when they went back to the hotel. They had nothing new to report. They were enjoying their delicious meal when Levi paced back and forth at the French patio doors and started barking.

"Will someone please tell that mutt to not speak unless spoken to?" Myles muttered.

"What is it, Levi?" Sue asked.

"I think he hears something." Jack remarked, standing up. He slowly opened the door. "Steve? Bobby?" He spoke in hushed tones. "I hear footsteps, and they're on your property! Very slow footsteps too." Steve immediately rose to his feet and pulled out his gun. He came behind Jack.

"Ganz? Leland? You take the front and make your way towards the patio down the walkway." Steve ordered. "Manning, you cover the downstairs." Bobby nodded, and also pulled out his gun, along with Myles and Dimitrius.

"I'll cover from here." Tara stated, touching her holster. Sue pulled Levi back toward her.

"Right." Steve agreed. "Jack and I will make our way from here. Let's go, Jack." The two men crept out onto the patio and down the stairs. "You hear that?"

"Yep." Jack nodded. They'd just reached the awning at the bottom of the driveway when they saw two figures in the vines' and leaves' shadows. Steve and Jack aimed their guns.

"Police! Freeze!" Steve barked.

"FBI! Freeze!" Myles and Dimitrius yelled from behind the suspects, also aiming their firearms.

"Get your hands up where I can see them." Steve growled. The sound of plastic bags collapsing down on the concrete reached their ears. "Come out of there." The two intruders stepped forward into the evening sunlight.

"What?" Jack sputtered with furrowed brows when he recognized the identities of the 'prowlers'.

Steve huffed heavily, lowering his gun. "Jess, Amanda!" He sighed in exasperation. "What are you doing here?"

"We thought we'd join the party." Jessie answered casually.

"And offer our services." Amanda added.

"I told you guys _later. Not tonight."_ Steve protested, slipping his gun back into the holster.

"This is later." Amanda said. She'd been around Steve too long to be intimidated by his cold cop manner, which she knew she could worm her way around.

"Do they always drop in on you unannounced like this?" Jack asked, putting his gun back too.

"More often than I'd like." Steve said sarcastically. Jessie and Amanda retrieved the bags. Myles clicked his gun.

"Hey!" Jack called.

Dimitrius rolled his eyes and gripped the muzzle of Myles' gun. "Myles, what are you doing?" He asked in annoyance and amusement. "Put that thing away." Myles pursed his lips. "What's the matter with you anyway?"

"Well, don't look at me." Myles shrugged, as they walked along. "I mean look at him: that stature. With his back turned to us and when I heard prowling footsteps, I thought my worst nightmare had come true and Howie had actually followed us here!" Jack snickered, shaking his head and so did Dimitrius.

"Hey, take it easy, Agent Leland." Jessie said. "We brought dinner."

* * *

So, the group grew and feasted on a good home cooked meal and fast food takeout. Mark filled Jessie and Amanda in on Howard Lance. "Mmm! So we're getting close!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Not quite." Dimitrius calmly interjected. "Yes, we have two main pieces of the puzzle in place, but we still don't know where they're striking from or and why White is developing more vigor."

"Well, it may not lead us to an address exactly," Tara spoke up, "but I'm keeping a sharp eye on White's credit card record. Mr. Westhoff gave me permission to access it."

"You mean hack it?" Jessie asked in surprise.

"Well, it's not really hacking if you've got permission." Tara answered. "Now I can see each and every move Mr. White makes with his handy little pocket side-kick. If anything peculiar comes up, we will be the first to know."

"Very efficient of you, Miss Williams." Steve remarked.

"You're good." Amanda added.

"Thanks." Tara cocked her head.

* * *

Sue and Levi stole away quietly after a while and just enjoyed the magnificent view of the ocean while standing out on the patio. The sun was setting and it was a beautiful sight, and one that Sue was enjoying immensely. She'd never been this far west and she decided to soak up every minute of this serenity. Jack showed up to her side. "What do you think?" He asked.

"Oh," Sue sighed deeply, "it's...it's beautiful. You know I'm happy in Washington, but a moment like this is something I'm not likely to see more than once in a lifetime."

"Yeah." Jack smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth. But he found himself gazing more at the woman in front of him than the massive body of water in his peripheral vision. Her blonde hair tousled in the wind and her soft brown eyes held a peaceful, other world look. Jack wished they weren't on such a spur of the moment tranquility or he might...just might've gathered enough courage to say what was on his mind. His heart burned at the moment the more he thought on what a remarkable, caring person Sue was and how much he...how much he wanted to be an important part of her life: not as just a good friend, but more...much more!

Sue strongly felt Jack's presence, unlike any she'd ever had with any other human being. She always felt that way when he was near, even when they bickered. There was no doubt he was dashingly good-looking, and very good at his job, but there was so much more to him than that. Jack was a Godly, caring, sincere man, and a great guy. His career was more than a job to him, it was part of who he was and he demonstrated that by the way he treated people, and the way...yes, the way he'd treated her since that fateful day when she'd mistakenly walked into his office. Sometimes they had been rude or strongly in disagreement with each other, but the point was that Jack was humble and admitted when he was wrong, and he wasn't often wrong about much. He was just so...so sincere, so full of integrity, a deep earnestness Sue could read and feel, especially when she looked deeply into his dark eyes. Her heart longed passionately at the moment the more she reflected on what a neat, wonderful guy Jack was and how much she...how much she wanted to be an important part of his life: not just as a good listener, but more...much more!

"I doubt we'll get a chance like this again." Jack stated when she looked back at him, _after_ he'd shaken himself out of his trance.

"Well, it you're right, then that will make this all the more special, don't you think?" Sue smiled.

"Mmm." Jack nodded. He was unaware that two pairs of dark, beautiful, but overly curious eyes were watching his and Sue's exchange from the window.

* * *

Lucy and Amanda had hit it right off. They were almost like twins, especially in their caring, but very witty, no-nonsense, self-assured mannerisms. At this moment, Lucy had stolen away from the group and was watching her favorite 'couple' gazing out at the sea. She was smiling in satisfaction when a fairly new but welcome voice spoke behind her. "So," Amanda asked slyly, "what's the scoop on those two?" Lucy turned to her new friend and grinned widely.

"Ah, couldn't be better." Lucy answered in delight.

"So, are Jack and Sue dating?"

"No, well-yes, no-ah! They insist on following the bureau's policy of not dating a member of your own unit, but...they always manage to end up together anyway."

"So...they really do like each other?" Amanda asked smugly.

"Mmm!" Lucy nodded.

"Have they told each other that?"

"Oh, gracious, no! They deny it, they evade it, they act casual about it, but _I know_ what's going on!"

"I can see they definitely have a thing."

"Take another look, girlfriend," Lucy playfully corrected her. "That's way more than a thing...that's _love!"_

"They certainly look like they're meant for each other." Amanda said wistfully.

"I knew that the first time I saw them together. But they seem to have the hardest time just coming out and admitting their feelings. I feel like I'm always the one having to take the lead and give them a push because they won't do anything about it."

"Maybe being in all this irresistible California beauty will change that." Amanda remarked.

"That's what I'm counting on!" Lucy exclaimed.

* * *

"Well, I think I'd better go back in and make sure Myles hasn't put Dr. Travis in a straight jacket." Jack chuckled. Sue grinned.

"He is pretty energetic, isn't he?" She laughed, thinking of the very friendly, zealous ER doctor they'd met only this afternoon. Jack showed his shiny teeth.

"You coming?"

"Just give me a few."

"Sure." Jack nodded, understanding that she wanted to enjoy a little longer sentimental view of the ocean. He walked back inside where Myles and Bobby were arguing over the precise details about a past case, which was amusing entertainment for Dimitrius-who personally knew the real story-Jessie, and Steve.

"What do you think, boy?" Sue looked down at Levi who barked, then raised his front paws up on the railing. "Yeah. I agree!" Sue nodded with a smile and hugged her companion. She didn't realize that Mark was beside her, also leaning on the rail.

"You ever been to the beach before?" He asked. Levi nudged her arm towards Mark's direction, and she faced him.

"Oh, Doct...er, Mark. Hi." She smiled, wide-eyed in surprise. "I didn't even know you were here."

"Hope I didn't scare you." Mark smiled back.

"Startled me a little." Sue nodded.

"So, I asked if you've ever been to the beach before?"

"No, this is my very first time. I've always wanted to though. Never imagined it would be through these circumstances."

"Oh, tell me about it!" Mark agreed. "You know, it seems like in life that we meet the most remarkable people through the most unexpected, sometimes bizarre situations." Sue nodded.

"Some of them, outcasts even, or some others thought were crazy have actually turned out to be helpful in our investigations-in ways we didn't realize at first-, and have much more potential than most people would believe at first sight." Sue gazed thoughtfully at the older man with twinkling eyes. She understood perfectly what he was talking about. Oh, _how well_ she understood it. She'd been through it herself, and that's what made her so easily able to notice it in other people. She wasn't sure why this doctor whom she'd first met almost twelve hours ago was bringing up this particular subject, but she already felt a deep respect for him.

"I know." Sue murmured softly. " _I_ know. I've met some people like that." She was thinking of Howie Fines, and how badly the guys had wanted to pull him from the team as an FBI snitch because they were fed up with his over zealous nature to gain acceptance; she thought of Troy, all the twists and possibilities of doubt over his cooperation when he'd been pulled into the team to help them catch Vince Toma; her heart went out to Brian Guthrie, a strange, withdrawn guy who'd been framed and arrested for murdering Liz Bradley the well-known investigative journalist; she was thankful she'd obeyed her own individual instincts in the case of Carol Collins, her deaf friend who was suspected of murdering her husband for abusing her; and Sue would always remember amnesia-stricken Jonathan Hammond, the questionable anonymous informant who'd let Sue and the team know about a plot against the country but because of his mental injury had almost been totally put away for committing the treacherous crime!

All of those people were at least no longer in those unpleasant situations...thanks to Sue. She'd given them a chance to prove the truth and had taken a long shot call in believing them, which to her credit had ended up in the team's favor. Most of the said individuals would've easily been tossed aside, and some even in jail for things they hadn't done, because they _appeared_ either not worth the time of day or just clear open shut. But since Sue had understood completely what it was like to be treated inferior and not listened to properly, it had filled her with compassion to look beyond these souls' outward and possibly conclusive appearances and explore their inner characters more in depth.

Sue started telling Mark about her friends who'd been outcasts and how working with the FBI had helped improve their lives. Of course, she didn't give herself much credit, but she didn't really have to. There was something about this young woman, a strong compassion and sense of justice that Mark could sense through his brilliant intellect. The way she described the unfortunate situations with such sympathy for those people, Mark could tell that she was responsible in a large part for helping them improve their situations. Sue finally went silent.

"And how about you?" Mark asked.

"Excuse me?" Sue furrowed her brows.

"How about you?" Mark repeated himself. "I'm sure you've had your share of being treated and looked on as 'different'."

Sue stared intently at him. "You're very insightful, Dr. Sloan." She sighed heavily. "Yes. Not everyone has always treated people like me as nicely as you have. As decently as my friends have. I can't imagine where I'd be right now without them."

"How did you end up working for the FBI...Sue?" Mark asked directly.

"My parents decided not to let my disability control my life." Sue explained. "They wanted me to have as normal a life as possible. Even now, that's not really possible. To some people, I may seem normal enough but it's not as easy as it looks."

"I have to admit, you make it look like it's nothing." Mark stated. "But that's because I'm not in your shoes." Sue chuckled and shook her head.

"Well, my parents did put me through school and college, and all of us, including myself, wanted me to make my own way in the world. Wanted me to do something important with my life. We heard that the FBI needed new people to help with cases, so I applied. Turned out they wanted people with disabilities, people like me, in the 'special project' system."

"Special project?" Mark inquired.

"A lower class _token position_ for people who are different." Sue rolled her eyes. "Now my parents and I have not always seen eye to eye on things in life, but I knew they'd feel deeply insulted, and so did I after all the hard work we put into trying to make me 'normal' in the hearing world. So I asked for a transfer."

"And they gave it to you, just like that as an investigative analyst FBI agent?" Mark raised his eyebrows.

" _No,"_ Sue answered slyly. "Jack did."

"Jack? Agent Hudson?"

"Mmm-hmm." Sue nodded with wide smile, and her face glowed as she said it. Being trained and instinctive in observation, Mark grinned when he noticed the gleam in her eyes. "I met Jack, and he chose to look beyond the surface and gave me a chance to prove myself. God's helped me a lot. It hasn't been an easy road. Jack's been the best coach I've ever had, and I guess he knew what he was doing, 'cause I'm still at the FBI!"

"Well, I can tell you from personal observation, he _did_ know what he was doing!" Mark smiled widely.

"You're very flattering, Mark." Sue chided.

"It's not flattery," Mark retorted. "I mean it. Take my word, I'm a doctor, and I don't pinpoint talent unless I see it." He touched Sue's shoulder. "Sue, you're bright, you care about the people you help, you're sincere, and you care about what's right. Those are decent qualities that a place like the FBI could use. You have an amazing ability, honey, a _gift_ to read lips, and look at how many lives you've helped save through your deafness. You know, God has surely turned your adversity into something good! Heck, I don't know how we would've solved this case this far if it wasn't for you!"

Sue smiled. "You mean it wasn't for _us."_ She corrected him. "We're a team, Mark. And I was just going to say the same about you: if it wasn't for your keen instincts in pointing out White in those crowds, we might've never knew for sure that he was here. _You've_ helped us in solving this case in ways we never even expected! You've helped us gain more insight that we didn't realize we had. God had you at the right place, at exactly the right time when we didn't even know how much we were going to need your help personally. I don't believe coincidences like that are left to mere chance."

"Neither do I." Mark smiled warmly. They were both silent for a few moments then Sue spoke up.

"It must be hard on you." She remarked.

"What?" Mark stared at her confused.

"Is it scary, knowing your son is a police officer and knowing what a dangerous job he has?" Sue asked. Mark drew in a breath. Oh, how it was scary for him...terrifying really, of all the possible ways Steve could die on the job and at times almost had! He tried not to let that fear consume him, especially every morning when he watched his son walk out the door off to work, but he couldn't help meditating on it often and trying to prepare himself in case something did happen. Yet he was never fully prepared whenever he received a call that Steve was hurt.

"Oohh," Mark sighed, "is it ever. I try not to dwell on it, and just enjoy every good day we have together. But...sometimes I can't shake off the feeling of dread." Sue stared sympathetically at the elder gentleman.

"I've found that saying a prayer can usually help with that." She commented.

"I have too. But the feeling still creeps up on me at times." Mark said.

"I'm sure it does." Sue remarked. "But it must make you feel extra blessed the way you're able to work so closely together in your jobs." Mark smiled fondly.

"Yes, more than you know."

"Well, I guess we should go back in?" Sue suggested.

"Sure." Mark replied and they both entered the beach house. They were catching the end of a very lively conversation.

"I'm just innovated." Bobby shrugged, and walked away to get some more soda.

"Innovating?" Jack blurted out, with a sneaky look in his eyes. "Is that what you call it... _Crash?"_

"Crash?" Jessie and Steve asked together.

"Did he just call him Crash?" Mark repeated.

"Nobody told you? That's his nickname." Dimitrius chuckled.

"Eh-huh." Jack smirked. "Earned every letter of it."

"Sounds kind of drastic to me." Jessie stated.

"It's not what you think, Dr. Travis." Lucy said. Jack stood up, proud to be the spokesperson.

"He was fresh from Quantico, just received his first bureau issued car." Jack began.

"It was a nice car too." Bobby shook his head with an embarrassed grin.

"And within forty-five minutes...he totaled it!" Jack finished. Steve rolled his eyes while Jessie and Mark cringed.

"To the top of the bureau record I'd say." Myles spoke up.

"I've heard enough." Jessie said pitifully.

"Yeah, well, don't forget about your own top embarrassing moment...Sparky." Sue said smugly at Jack.

"Oh, yeah, I want to hear that one." Steve grinned.

"Not today!" Jack protested, making everyone laugh.

"Please, if it involves a car I can't take anymore." Jessie begged.

" _Thank you!"_ Jack sputtered.

* * *

That night, at the hotel and the beach house, the entire crime-solving crews couldn't help feeling blessed. This was more than just partnering with joint career members to accomplish a mission: they couldn't help feeling that they'd made some new, dear friends. There was just something about the warmth, the friendly teasing, the openness of their true characters-flaws and all-, the obvious pulling together of these people that made it impossible to believe they could be anything but genuine. Steve felt so much less uptight about working with the FBI agents, especially Jack and Bobby-though they hadn't reached any real drama yet-. Somehow he just knew that he could trust them. Lucy had found an obvious new friend and conspirator in Amanda, and everyone hoped that Jessie's vibrant personality might grow on Myles' pompous manner. Sue noticed that they'd all treated her respectfully, and just as openly and lovingly as her closest friends on the team. Sue felt a deep admiration and respect growing for Mark. His genuine curiosity, his powerful, soulful human insight, and desire to help people shone in the way he treated everyone he met, and she couldn't help feeling that she'd just discovered another golden nugget friend to add to her collection and she made up her mind to stay in contact with the good doctor even after this was all over. The way they'd all enjoyed themselves tonight at Mark and Steve's house, it was as if they'd all known each other for years. In fact, it was hard to believe that they hadn't.

 _I have a feeling these are the beginnings of some beautiful friendships,_ Mark thought to himself.

* * *

 **This is before Troy Story in Sue Thomas FBEye when Darcy left for Los Angeles and Bobby became more open about his feelings for Tara.** **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just couldn't wait any longer to get the whole gang to the beach house and seal their friendship!**

 **Hey, don't worry. The drama _is_ coming!**


	9. Chapter 9 Another Hunch

For the next two days, the FBI team and Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jessie spent their time going over White's and Lance's rap sheets, hoping to spot some sort of new clue they hadn't noticed before. But so far, it seemed that the same old texts on the papers just kept staring them in the face.

Dimitrius spent the extra free moments he could talking with Donna on the phone. He regretted not being bale to bring her with him on this trip, but even if he had, they wouldn't have been able to spend a lot of time together. He promised himself that he'd plan to take her here on their next planned vacation, and that he'd try to get any cases dropped on him at that time reassigned to someone else.

There was a sense of anticipation mixed with dread in the air. Mark and his gang plus Jack and his task force were glad that they'd made some progress with the case, but what were they missing that would help them conclude the facts and locate Jeff White? It had been three days since Missy Frazier had turned up dead, and that made them all uneasy, especially the police department: according to what they knew, frequently a random woman would go missing every few days, then turn up dead in a few more. Which meant? Since Missy Frazier's murder, there hadn't been any reports of women gone missing. They all knew that this meant it _could_ happen at any time, but who would be targeted next? And they had no way of knowing so they could protect whichever females in southern California were in the danger of White's bloody path.

On the lighter side, while they were in the area, Amanda gladly offered to take the FBI females on a tour through the famous landmarks in their sunny state. They gladly accepted. Jessie offered to show the guys the best food joints. "So, do you guys ever meet any famous celebrities?" Lucy asked eagerly on one of their field trips. That was a question she'd been dying to ask since they first arrived.

"Not as often as you'd imagine." Amanda smiled as they drove along. "Yes, we get to meet some, but not everyday as you East coasters may think. But, hey, have you guys ever met the President of the United States?"

" _We didn't,"_ Tara sighed. "But Jack and Bobby did. He gave them Wizards/Lakers tickets."

"Wow! From the President himself?" Amanda gasped. "I am in the wrong line of work."

"Then Bobby turned around and sold them." Sue remarked, grinning.

"What?!" Amanda's jaw dropped. "Is he crazy? Does he have any idea how much those tickets cost? Someone ought to tell him that those little babies do _not_ grow on trees!"

"We were in the middle of a critical, high-profile case," Sue explained, "and Bobby thought they wouldn't get the chance to use their tickets, so he scalped them."

"I'll bet Jack was mad." Amanda gulped, remembering the time with the major busload crash and how a false patient had tried to bribe Amanda in getting Lakers tickets for Mark and Steve so Amanda wouldn't expose her scam. Then when the real Lakers coach had come to personally present tickets to Mark and Steve, Amanda had told the guy off and ripped the tickets up... _'til_ the guys spilled that that had been the _real_ coach! She was still so embarrassed about that mistake.

"Oohh," Tara grinned at the memory. "By the way, Amanda, have you ever met Adam Kinsey?"

"You mean Adam Kinsey in Final Flight?" Amanda asked.

"Mmm-hmm."

"Not yet. But I'm just dying to." Amanda cooed with a faraway look.

"Well, we have." Tara said smugly. Amanda's jaw dropped and her eyes nearly popped pot of her head.

"You _WHAT?!"_ She blurted out, taking her eyes off the road for a second. Sue, Lucy, and Tara giggled. "How in the world...but he lives here... _how_ is that I live in the same state he does and our paths have never crossed, but you live on the other side of the continent and you met him in person?! How does that happen? That's _not_ fair!"

"He was chosen to play an FBI agent in his next movie," Sue explained. "So, they sent him to us to get some knowledge and experience up close and personal."

"Not fair." Amanda muttered.

"He showed up right in the middle of one of our most crucial cases." Sue added.

"Did he help you solve it?" Amanda asked hopefully. Sue bit her lip, not sure how to answer. Though all three women had been thrilled to meet him, they all remembered how much of a pain in the neck Adam had made himself out to be while they were urgently trying to save the country.

"Ahem. You could say he played his part." Tara answered in a rush, and rolled her eyes to Sue and Lucy who nodded, indicating she'd given a good answer.

"What was he like?" Amanda asked.

"Eh, he was very nice and eager to learn." Sue said.

"You lucky girls." Amanda shook her head, then turned stern again. "That's still not fair!"

* * *

"So, what do we do from here?" Myles asked with a sigh, folding his arms across his chest. He and Dimitrius were having lunch with Steve at _Sami's._

"I'm open to suggestions." Steve remarked, throwing his hand up in the air. They still had no clue where to look or what to look for next. It was like they were all sitting on borrowed time, waiting for something to happen.

"We've gone over the profiles a hundred times," Dimitrius said lowly. "Feel as though I've been dragged to an abstract art museum and someone told me to find the origin of the title."

"I'm getting frazzled just sitting around, no knowing what to do." Steve huffed. "Though I noticed in the newscast on TV this morning that lots of women having been buying strong locks for their doors and windows."

"Just might cut down our work schedule to a fraction. I'm sure the lock industries are extremely grateful to us for not doing what we've been played up to do in our line of work." Myles said dryly. Dimitrius frowned and rolled his eyes.

"Real ray of sunshine, aren't you?" He retorted.

"Try." Myles shrugged. Dimitrius shook his head.

"Dad might be able to think of something." Steve stated. "I _wish._ He can usually come up with an impractical but undeniable theory, and right now I just wish he'd whip up something nifty."

"We've been praying for answers," Dimitrius sighed heavily. "They've got to be closer than we think."

"They usually are." Myles chimed in.

"Yeah." Steve added.

* * *

Mark was sitting thoughtfully in the doctor's lounge, taking a break and deep in concentration on what could possibly lead them to White. He took another sip of coffee. Amanda was occupied in her pathology lab, so he couldn't ask her at the moment for any suggestions. Jessie popped in at that very moment. "Hey," he yawned, opening a can of Sprite. Mark didn't seem to notice him or to have heard what he'd said. Jessie shook his head and shrugged. "Okay, if I'm gonna talk to the wall, I might as well get acquainted." He took a sip of his soda.

"Huh?" Mark asked with furrowed brows. "Oh, hi, Jess. When did you come in here?"

Jessie frowned. "Pfft. Forget it. Aah..." his voice trailed off in another yawn.

"Long morning, huh?" Mark grinned.

"Boy," Jessie shook his head in fatigue. "So, what's got your brow so furrowed?"

"Hmm?"

"What magic rabbit are you cooking up now? A good one, I hope." Jessie plopped down onto the sofa and leaned his head back. He'd been on his feet since ten the night before, with several cases to keep him hopping, and he was bushed.

"I don't know, Jess." Mark sighed. "I'm not even sure if I am cooking right now. I just wish we could find something irregular and just so obvious in Jeff White's bio."

"He likes fast food, and clothes, and...aah, he...he obviously has serious issues with members of the opposite gender. What...aah...what more do we want?" Jessie breathed heavily. Mark stared at him and made a face. Jessie must really be tired not to try and come up with his own 'bright' ideas on catching a killer.

"So, you don't have anything to offer?" Mark asked. Jessie popped his droopy eyes back open, but they immediately turned to slits again.

"W-what?" He sputtered groggily, and slowly sank down into the couch.

"I wonder if Jack or his friends have turned up anything." Mark stated, staring out the window as he took another sip of coffee.

"...ey...ould...et...ow..." Jessie muttered incoherently.

"I sure would like to know Jeff White's taste in clothes, besides jogging jackets and baseball caps." Mark went on. "Does he always buy them from the same place, or does he go to several different branches of the same company? You know, if he bought them from the same company, but different locations, it could maybe give us an idea as to where he's hiding out! He may or may not be using his disguise. I wonder if..." Mark rambled into space while Jessie just lay on his back down in the couch, sleeping away.

"You have a special guest or are you talking to your false self?" Norman Briggs interrupted Mark's deductive reasoning. Mark turned and chuckled.

"Oh, I didn't know you were there." He smiled, standing up.

"Dr. Sloan, we're in trouble." Norman groaned.

"What's the matter this time, Norman?" Mark raised an eyebrow.

"Our annual hospital fundraiser event for the children's ward is in less than two weeks, and we don't even have a creative, outstanding theme to come up with that will just draw in the donors' contributions!" Norman exclaimed.

"Oh, that's right." Mark frowned. "Mph. Well, we still have time to come up with something."

"Easy for you to say, while you're out on the loose chasing serial killers and doing the police's work for them, I'm trying to keep this facility from falling apart at the seams and us denying our patients the care they need! Believe me, amigo," Norman lowered his voice to a morbid tone, "this is all for the children. If we fail them, how can people put their faith in us?" Then he walked out. Mark just shrugged.

"Hello, Dr. Sloan." A smooth, feminine voice greeted him. Mark glanced to his left, and smiled to see Sue enter the lounge with Levi. Jack, Bobby, and Lucy followed her. "Hope you don't mind us dropping unannounced like this."

"No, not at all." Mark protested. "Won't you have a seat?"

"Don't mind if I do." Lucy sighed. "Wasn't that your Mr. Briggs we just saw walking away?"

"Yes, he has a lot on his mind. We don't even have a theme for our annual hospital fundraiser charity event for our children's ward and the big night is soon."

" _Really?"_ Lucy asked in a devious voice. Then she smirked with squinted eyes at Sue, who just stared blankly at her. "If you'll excuse me for a moment." And Lucy left.

"So, what brings you here?" Mark inquired.

"Tara's been keeping a sharp eye on White's shopping list for this week." Jack explained. "Nothing unusual so far, aside from the trash bags."

"I'm sensing a but," Mark finished.

"Doc Sloan, you live here. We wanted to show you the companies and locations of the places where White made his wardrobe purchases." Bobby added.

"We were hoping you could tell us if they're legit or not, or the same brand, or vicinity." Sue spoke up. Mark laughed.

"I didn't know we were that funny." Jack stated.

"No, sorry." Mark chuckled. "You must've read my mind, 'cause I was thinking the exact same thing! Right before you guys came in!"

"Hey, hey," Bobby smiled and gave the older gentleman a friendly knuckle fist. "You see? Great minds _do_ think a like."

"I sure am glad we're all on the same team." Jack grinned. Sue nodded and gestured the Sign Language signal for team.

"What was that?" Mark asked. In the passed couple days when they'd seen each other, Sue had been teaching him Sign Language at his request, but he still had a long way to go. But he was delighted with the new challenge.

"Oh, it means, 'we're a team.' " Sue smiled, and Mark tried to copy her finger movements. He fumbled slightly and she chuckled, then slowed down and showed him the proper way, then he got it.

"So, you want to show me those records?" Mark asked.

"Sure." Bobby nodded, and started fiddling his hands through his jacket. He chuckled nervously, then frowned.

"You _did_ bring them, didn't you?" Jack asked with an edge in his voice.

"Sure thing." Bobby winked, but the more he searched, the more he didn't turn up anything. "Well, what do you? Eh, heh." He grinned nervously. "I, uh...guess I forgot them."

"Agent Manning, how do you expect me to read something if you don't have it with you?" Mark teased.

"How could you forget them?" Jack scolded.

"I told you I was gonna grab a soda, then meet you guys at the car," Bobby said, "I guess my mind trailed off after getting the can, and..."

"And you call yourself an FBI agent?" Sue smirked. Bobby shrugged.

"Sorry, doc. My bad."

"Well, guess I'll just have to look at them later."

* * *

"Mr. Briggs? Mr. Briggs?!" Lucy called after Norman as she finally spotted him. He stopped to speak with Amanda and Delores. Lucy scurried up to them. "Hey," she panted.

"Lucy, what are you doing here?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Oh, just helping out. Mr. Briggs, you remember me? Lucy Dotson? I work with the FBI, and we met a few days ago when my friend's dog ticked you off a bit."

"Oh, yes, of course." Norman smiled. "I just have some business to attend to."

"What kind of business?"

"Our annual fundraiser." Delores answered.

"Yeah, I heard about that." Lucy said casually. "I understand you're having a bit of difficulty that."

"We have no brilliant motto or even a theme for this year's benefit."

"And the hospital most certainly needs the donations!" Norman exclaimed. Amanda grinned.

"Well, you see, _that_ is what I am here for." Lucy smiled widely, revealing her white shiny teeth. "I believe I have the perfect solution."

Delores laughed skeptically. "Well, honey, unless you can come up with a whopper of a dreamboat, I'm afraid we're out of funds."

 _Talking about dreamboats,_ Lucy thought with satisfaction. "Well, if you all care to come with me and listen for a few minutes, I can suggest something that I can guarantee will insure funds, and participation! Believe me, you're gonna love it, and so will your donors. In fact, right now I can think of some very promising prospects that are sure to be the hit of your charity event. You come too, Amanda, you're gonna want to hear this."

"What exactly, did you have in mind?" Norman asked curiously. Lucy giggled and placed her arm around his shoulder.

"Just follow me and I'll tell you!"

* * *

Steve, Myles, and Dimitrius had arrived and they'd all gone over the discussion that Jack, Sue, and Bobby had had with Mark. Levi trotted over to Jessie, fast asleep on the couch, and started licking his face. Everyone started laughing. "W-what? Huh? W...hey!" Jessie giggled as he opened his eyes, and Levi continued kissing him. Jessie's looks and reactions reminded them all of a little boy.

"Okay, okay, Levi. That's enough, buddy." Sue smiled. Levi looked back at her and sat down. Jessie sat up and ruffled Levi's fur.

"Nice to see you too, buddy." He said cheerfully.

"Do you have any idea how many germs dogs carry on their palettes?" Myles asked dryly, but Jessie ignored him.

"Aw, yes, who's a good boy? Who's a good dog, huh?" He mushed over Levi, making Sue giggle. Myles rolled his eyes. "Oh! Hi, guys." Jessie's eyes lit up when he realized that the FBI agents were present. "What have you been talking about? Anything new?" He asked hopefully.

"Well, not yet." Steve muttered.

"We _would've..._ maybe." Jack huffed, glancing at Bobby in disapproval. "Thanks, Crash."

"Gonna have to wait 'til later." Dimitrius grinned.

"Well, I guess that gives you all just another excuse to visit the beach house." Mark teased.

"Oh, I get it." Steve said mockingly, "You're acting absent-minded just so you can pawn yourself off on my dad's luxury, is that it?"

"Aw, now you don't really think someone as charming and intelligent as myself would pull a stunt like that, do ya?" Bobby retorted sarcastically. Steve squinted at him.

" _I_ do." Myles answered for the detective.

"Who asked you?" Jack spoke up. "Anyway, to get back in the _real_ world, I guess we'll have to bring you those papers later, Dr. Sloan."

"I could drop by the hotel when my shift is done, before I head home." Mark suggested.

"That sounds fine."

"I hope you guys' hunch is accurate." Steve sighed.

"Believe me, so do I!" Mark agreed.

"What hunch? What am I missing?" Jessie asked eagerly, and Myles winced.

* * *

"So? What do you all think?" Lucy asked when she'd finished her suggestion.

"I _love_ the idea!" Amanda clapped her hands together.

"Do you think they'd go for it?" Norman asked with a mixture of hope and worry.

"Ha, ha, ha. Well, whether they do or not, _I_ am personally thrilled with it. And I'm going to vote yes no matter what any sticks-in-the mud say. Speaking for myself, I'm really looking forward to it." Delores declared in triumph.

"Oh, so am I." Amanda grinned evilly.

"So, what do you say?" Lucy stared at Norman with zeal.

"Well, I must admit, it's the best idea I've heard yet." Norman smiled. "I'll present it to the board tomorrow. I think they'll eat it up."

"Good!" Lucy smiled widely.

* * *

Sue was standing outside of the lounge, looking around for Lucy to return so they could leave the hospital. Then she suddenly felt the inescapable presence of another being nearby. Levi looked behind him, to signal her that someone wanted her attention. Sue turned to see... _Steve!_ "Oh, hi." She smiled shyly. "I'm sorry, did you say something to me?" The tall detective smiled wryly at her and she raised her eyebrows. This wasn't the first time that a guy had looked at her that way, a guy who wasn't...Jack.

"Not yet," Steve grinned, "but I did want to have a word with you."

"Something you wanted to know?" Sue asked casually.

"Yeah," Steve turned his head to make sure no one else was looking. Sue gulped, not sure what he was intending, but she needn't have worried: Levi was right there at her side, intently watching every move Steve made. "I, uh...I've been meaning to ask you something." Steve broke into her thoughts.

"What is it?"

"Well, I wanted to tell you that you're very good, all of you, I mean, the work you do. And you all seem to work well together," Steve began. "And _you_ have a remarkable ability that the rest of us wish we had sometimes. We could certainly use your services at Metro."

Sue's heart began to sink. She'd only just met this guy, but, boy, was he moving in fast! "Look," she interrupted sadly, "thank you for the compliment, but...I'm happy where I'm at, Steve. And I can't imagine doing anything else. So, thank you, but I don't think I could leave my job or friends and transfer out here. I'm sorry, but I just...can't." Steve's brows narrowed in confusion and he snickered.

"What are you talking about?" He sputtered.

"Well, weren't you going to insist on me moving here?" Sue asked.

"Eh, _noo._ But that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Steve chuckled and Sue frowned. "Sue, relax. Though I'd like that thought, that's a long way from what I was planning to ask you!" Sue nodded in half-relief. "Ahem. You say you're close with all your partners, right?"

"Mostly, yeah." Sue said cautiously.

"I hope you won't think I'm being forward, but...I just couldn't help noticing Tara and what an amazing person she is." Steve confessed, staring at the floor. Sue's eyebrows rose up high and her eyes lit up in relief. It wasn't _her_ he wanted to ask out, it was her friend!

"You have?" She prodded for him to go on.

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "She's smart, she's efficient, she's very laid-back considering the high-profile research she has to do, she can whip up some good comebacks, and...if you don't mind me saying so, she's quite a looker. In fact, I'm gonna take my life into my hands and just say that she's very attractive." Sue smiled warmly.

"You've got good eyes, Lt. Sloan." She stated.

"I don't get to have that said to me, every day." Steve grinned widely. "But, uh...what I wanted to ask you was...is she going out with anybody?"

"Mmm, well," Sue began. This reminded her of when Adam Kinsey the actor had asked the same question. "Well, I can't exactly say for sure. I'm afraid I don't have a direct answer for you." Steve sighed. "But, I know someone who does!"

"Who?" Steve asked quickly.

"You might want to just ask Tara yourself." Sue suggested.

"What do you think she'll say?"

"You'll have to ask her that."

"Hey, thanks." Steve smiled warmly. He was tempted to kiss her lightly on the cheek, but wasn't sure if he should. Maybe she'd appreciate a different approach. "How do you say 'thank you'? In Sign Language?" Sue pulled her open palm away from her lips and mouthed 'thank you'. "Like that?" Steve asked as he tried it.

"You got it." Sue nodded.

"You think you could do me a favor?"

"Mmm, maybe. What do you want now?" Sue inquired.

"If it's not too much trouble, you think you could put in a good word for me?" Steve put on the best little boy pleading face he could muster, hoping she'd give in. Sue touched his shoulder.

"Maybe I can, but look," she explained, "if you really like her, just be yourself. Believe me, it'll save you a lot of pressure."

"You sure?"

"That's the best way I know how to truly get to know someone."

"But...what if it's not enough?"

"Well, I guess that's a risk you'll just have to take." Sue shrugged.

"Not exactly the answer I was hoping for, but..." Steve signed 'thank you'.

* * *

Inside the lounge, Jack was watching the two through the blinds, and he felt himself growing hot under the collar. He actually tugged on his neck tie. This wasn't the first time that he'd felt this way, whenever a guy was acting very interested in Sue. The last time she'd let herself get involved with someone, it had been Tony, and he'd turned out to be a great FBI agent, but a lousy, deceitful man and Jack didn't want to see that happen again! Though Jack felt that Steve was absolutely trustworthy and that he'd never hurt Sue, the scene of them standing so close together still made him incredibly nervous. He always had such a hard time sorting these feelings out: he didn't want to see Sue get hurt, but also he strongly felt that taking care of her was _his_ responsibility, that no other guy on earth-maybe save Bobby-could fill that role as good as he could or that any other guy knew Sue the way he did!

Lucy was just walking around the corner and stopped in her tracks as she noticed Sue standing there with Dr. Sloan's tall, robust, handsome son. "Hey, uh...any idea what they're saying?" Steve asked in a whisper, pointing over to Jessie and leaning very close to Sue's face. Lucy saw the exchange and couldn't peel her eyes away from it. Sue just stared the detective curiously.

"Probably." She simply stated. She could easily read Jessie's lips. He was speaking to a nurse about a possibly needed appendectomy for one of his patients, then he also mentioned an MRI for another patient's skull.

"Care to share it?" Steve asked hungrily, eager to see her at work and also wanting to know if Jessie was sweet-talking the girl-just another tidbit he could use to push Jessie's buttons once in a while when the opportunity called for it.

"Probably not." Sue shook her had, grinning.

"Oh." Steve frowned in disappointment.

" _Hi,"_ Lucy spoke smoothly as she walked up to them.

"Oh, hi. There you are!" Sue exclaimed. "I think we're ready to go, but we've been waiting for you. Where have you been?"

"Oh, just doing a little assistance for the good of this hospital. So, uh...what are _you_ up to?"

"Us? Nothing, we were just talking." Sue said innocently.

"Eh-huh." Lucy smirked. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Ahem. We're, uh...ready to go." Jack gulped loudly behind them. He couldn't take anymore of this. "I guess we'll be seeing you later this evening, Dr. Sloan."

"See ya then." Mark waved with a smile.

"Will we be seeing _you_ too, Lt.?" Lucy asked.

"Probably not." Steve shook his head. "But I'm sure we'll be gathering together soon." Lucy glanced over to Sue, but didn't find any disappointment there.

"Well, it was nice talking to you." Sue said to Steve. "And good luck."

"Thanks." Steve pursed his lips.

"So, what was that about?" Mark asked Steve as they watched the agents depart.

"A little fem- _nine_ advice." Steve sighed.

* * *

"Jack, you all right, mate? You look a bit flushed." Bobby remarked, wrapping his arm around his pal. Jack almost jumped at the voice and the touch.

"Huh? What? Oh, n-nothing." Jack stammered. "I, just hope we can get something out of those records."

"Yeah." Bobby agreed.

"So?" Lucy asked as she leaned in close to Sue.

"So?" Sue repeated.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Aw, don't play innocent with me, girl," Lucy teased. "I saw you and Steve talking together! What was that about?" Sue rolled her eyes: Lucy was on her roll again.

"Nothing. We were just talking." She answered.

"Uh-huh." Lucy retorted doubtfully.

"Lucy, it's not what you think. Really! We were just talking."

"Does Jack know about this?"

"There's nothing to know! Steve just wanted to ask me a question."

"So, when are you two going out together?"

"We're _not!"_ Sue huffed in frustration.

"So, he didn't ask you out?"

"No. Not _me."_

"Oh?" Lucy's eyebrows rose.

* * *

 **Ho, ho, ho. What is Lucy up to this time? Anyone have any ideas on what she could be planning for the fundraiser event? I can't wait to post _that,_ but it's gonna be a while. **

**The next chapter is where things get very interesting and the real action begins! Hope you enjoyed this one.**


	10. Chapter 10 A Nameless Shadow

"I'll be right back." Tara said. "I'm gonna see if the guys are ready."

"Okay." Lucy smiled. Tara opened the hotel door, and departed. Sue was in her room going through the case files in her briefcase, getting them organized for Mark to read. Levi was lying on the floor next to the TV. Lucy was reading a newspaper article about the malicious killings. Tara hadn't been gone for 3 minutes when there was a knock on the door. Levi rose to get Sue but she was in her bedroom. Lucy peeked through the peep hole. There was a guy outside in an orange jacket. Lucy opened the door and politely asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I seem to be a little lost." The man said. "Is this Jack Hudson's room?"

"No. But I can tell you where it is." Lucy smiled.

"Thank you very much, ma'am." The man smiled back. "I have to deliver these pizzas to agent Hudson. Courtesy of Dr. Sloan."

"Oh, well, you could just set them in here." Lucy suggested. "They should be here any minute."

"Good idea!" Lucy led the way into the living room, but heard the sound of boxes collapsing behind her. She turned to ask if the guy was okay when..."You're coming with me." The guy sneered, covering Lucy's mouth and pulling her arms back. Her eyes widened in fear and confusion. She struggled against him as best she could and jabbed his shin with her heeled shoe, but that only caused him to strengthen his hold on her. And just like that, he dragged her away!

* * *

Sue finally came out of her room. "Hey, Luce, I've got the notes and documents. We should be ready for…Luce?" Sue spoke confused. Lucy wasn't around anywhere. Then neither was Levi. "She's probably in her room. But where's Levi? Levi! Levi! Where are you, buddy?" Sue called. She was only 4 yards away from him, but because of her deafness, wasn't aware that he was closed up in Lucy's room. He was barking, trying to get her attention, but it was no use. Then Sue's eyes fell on the hotel room door opening to their apartment: it was slightly open. Her brows furrowed and she checked outside but no sign of Lucy or Tara. "Humph. They probably just went to the vending machine." She told herself and went back in.

But then she noticed empty pizza boxes scattered on the floor. Sue began to feel uneasy. "Levi!" She called again. She was facing the television, completely deaf to the fact that there were footsteps behind her. Levi continued to bark loudly. Without warning, Sue was grabbed around the waist roughly, and when she turned to see what ruffian had made his way into their hotel room, she felt a powerful, stunning blow to her head and everything immediately went black!

* * *

Tara slid her card through the slot on the apartment door's knob and opened it. The guys weren't far behind her. She noticed the pizza boxes, and heard Levi begging to be let out. "Levi?" She sputtered as she opened Lucy's door and the frantic golden scurried out. "What are you...Lucy?" She called. Levi was now barking more boisterously than before. "What is it, boy?" Then Tara gasped, clutching her chest. Levi was bending over his dear mistress. She was sprawled out on the floor, unconscious, and her face was bruised, with a gash on her forehead! She also had a shiner on her right eye. "Ohhh," Tara panted. "Lucy?! Lucy! Jack! JACK!" Tara shouted desperately. There was a mingle of several male voices all yelling at the same time.

Jack just froze at the sight of Sue. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and his heart pounded endlessly. "Bobby, call 911...NOW!" He hollered anxiously. He crouched down beside the woman he loved, and all the voices in the room sounded far away. The only clear thing he heard was the rapid banging of his own heart. This was a moment he had always feared and tried to prevent from happening, and now...it had happened! He reached out and gingerly touched her abused face and with his other hand tightly, lovingly gripped her listless one hoping by some miraculous intervention that she would know he was here with her, to comfort her, and protect her even after what just happened.

* * *

Jessie Travis was immediately at Sue's side as she was rolled into the ER on a stretcher. He quickly gave orders and rushed her with the other EMTs into the trauma room. Tara and the rest of the team had followed and stood by in the lobby, watching anxiously. Tara knelt down and ruffled Levi's fur, trying to calm the poor, forlorn dog. 30 minutes later, Steve Sloan arrived and found the nervous party in the waiting room. "Hey," he spoke up. "I came as soon as I heard. How is she?"

"We don't know yet." Dimitrius said quietly, shaking his head.

"So, what happened?"

"I left to see if the guys were ready to meet with us, then went back to our room." Tara explained. "Lucy wasn't around, and I heard Levi barking. He was shut up in Lucy's room. I let him out and that's when I found Sue."

"Did you see signs of anyone around? Or signs of a break-in?"

"We haven't gone over that yet." Myles replied. "We didn't have time."

"Excuse me. I have a phone call to make." Tara said, and walked away.

"We did notice something odd." Bobby remarked. "We found a stack of pizza boxes all over the floor, near the door."

"Pizza boxes?" Steve's brows furrowed.

"Yeah. Empty pizza boxes."

"We're planning to go back and look them over, see what company they came from." Myles added. Just then, Jessie and Mark came into view.

"Dad, how is she?" Steve asked.

"Dr. Sloan, is she going to be all right?" Bobby added.

"She's still unconscious." Mark explained. "That was a bad blow she took to the head."

"We found slight bruising on the brain from the MRI and the Cat Scan." Jessie said. "She's got a severe concussion too. We won't know much until she wakes up." Jack winced, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. He angrily pursed his lips.

"There was some abdominal bruising too." Jessie stated, glaring. Jack felt a surge of electricity race down his spine. His eyes flamed with rage.

"She's going to be in the ICU for a while." Mark stated. "We also found some badly bruised ribs. She was lucky they weren't broken." Jack, Bobby, D, Steve, and Myles all looked up wide-eyed. Bobby cringed.

"You saying that some scumbag thug first sneaks up on her, bashes her in the head, and then...then has the gall to give her another beating?!" Bobby hollered, his chest pumping up and down vigorously. "What kind of blood-sick yobbo does that?"

"A murderous one." Steve answered. Jack was so mad he couldn't speak. He just stood there rigidly, huffing heavily through his nose. But his eyes said everything: he was livid. They were wide with fury. "This guy is going down! So, you think White did this?"

"At this point, I have no idea." Dimitrius shook his head. "White doesn't beat his victims then take them away. It's always been vice versa. But, who else could it have been?"

"Remember that White did say next time he was going big." Mark chimed in. "It had to be him. The beating method was the same, just off the regular timing."

"So, you're saying he knew we were onto him, so he gets edgy and commits a random attack?" Myles suggested.

"Jack? Guys?" Tara spoke up as she returned. She looked worried. "I think Lucy might be in trouble!"

"What?" Myles replied.

"What makes you say that?" Dimitrius asked.

"Well, I've been trying to get a hold of her _at least_ 20 times in the passed 45 minutes to let her know what happened to Sue but her cell's not picking up." Tara said nervously.

"Maybe her cell's dead." Jessie suggested, hoping she was wrong. Tara shook her head.

"I don't think so." She answered. "Get this. I even called our hotel room, _8_ times. No answer. And she knew we were supposed to be conferring soon."

"And, she was nowhere around at all when we came in and Tara found Sue. If her purse is back at the hotel, then..." Bobby started.

"I'm afraid that Sue is the only one who can tell us what happened." Steve stated. "But who knows how long that will be?"

"No! Tara's right. Lucy's in trouble!" Jack finally voiced himself, grabbing everyone's attention. "Levi was shut up in Lucy's room when we arrived, and she would _never_ do that to Sue, even as a prank."

"Yeah, and what about those pizza boxes on the floor?" Bobby added.

"I think it's time someone went back and checked things." Steve said. "Lucy could've been gagged and hidden in the closet."

"Let's hope she is, because if not..." Mark began.

"D, Myles, you and Tara go with Steve back to the hotel room and see what you can find. Call us about _anything, anything!"_ Jack said adamantly.

"You got it." Dimitrius said.

"Let's go, guys." Steve remarked. "Dad, you call me if there's any change."

Jack slightly panted and shook his head. His heart was racing. First Sue lands in the hospital, and now Lucy could be in danger! Mark touched his arm, snapping him out of his trance."You okay, son?" He asked softly. Jack pursed his lips gazed at the ceiling.

"C-can we see her?" Bobby asked sadly.

"Sure." Jessie smiled. "Follow me." The men walked together with Levi at their heels. They reached the ICU and passed the nurses' station.

"Uh, uh, you can't have a dog up here." One of them spoke up.

"It's okay." Mark said. "He's a service dog, for the patient in room 422."

"And we're with the FBI." Bobby said, showing his badge. "The patient's a friend of ours."

"Go ahead." The nurse nodded. Jessie led them to Sue's room and quietly opened the door. They all solemnly stepped in. Amanda was in there, checking her charts. There was Sue, lying limply in the bed, comatosed and with a very ugly bruise marring her beautiful face and a big white bandage wrapped around her head. She was surrounded by tubes and a heart monitor beeped, keeping the room not totally silent. She looked so...so lifeless. Jack bit his lip. He remembered all too well when he'd come back to her apartment and had found Simon hovering over her, about to strangle her. At least then, Jack had shot the guy before Sue had gotten hurt! This time? He hadn't been there to protect her! His face grimaced in pain and he rubbed his nose. The painful lump in his throat was strongly threatening to burst out.

"How is she doing, Amanda?" Mark asked quietly. Amanda bit her lip and sighed.

"Well, vitals are steady, she's pretty stable, but...those blows were not given lightly." Amanda said. "Whoever did this was no amateur, and was probably acting out in anger."

 _"Someone like Jeff White.."_ Bobby whispered under his breath, and braced his body to shake off the feeling of dread that was wallowing inside his body.

Levi whimpered and slowly walked over to Sue's hospital bed. He placed his paws up and nudged his head under her hand, trying to get a response. He was waiting... _hoping_ for her affectionate caress, but got nothing. He lovingly licked her hand, hoping to hear her soft voice. Nothing. He pitifully looked back at the four men, two of them being his friends, begging for help. They all stared at him sympathetically. Levi whimpered as he looked to Jack as his last source of hope, his dark brown eyes glistening with defeat and it broke Jack's heart-more than it was already-to see him like this. "I'm right here, buddy." Jack said softly. Levi cried softly and plopped his head on the bed, between his paws, under Sue's immobile hand.

"Poor Levi." Jessie said, cocking his head. Bobby knelt down beside him and rubbed the dog's shoulders.

"Don't worry, mate." He said reassuringly. "We're here with ya. Sue _will_ get better. You'll see."

"No one's gonna do anything like this to her again, Levi." Jack spoke up. Levi glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. "I promise."


	11. Chapter 11 A Frightening Tip

Back at the hotel, Tara, Myles, Dimitrius, and Steve along with his officers hurried to the suite that Tara had been sharing with Sue and Lucy, hoping against hope that Lucy was still there. Though she may possibly be hurt too, they just hoped she was there. "Lucy! Lucy?!" Tara called out when she entered the room.

"Luce!" Dimitrius yelled. "It's us! We're here!"

"Lucy, you in here?!" Steve hollered. "It's all right, it's safe now!"

"Lucy!" Myles shouted. Though they'd had their rough spots, thanks to him, he was truly worried about his friend-ex-girlfriend-and hoped and prayed that they didn't find her the way they had Sue. They searched everywhere they could, but there was no sign of Lucy, and her cell phone was found in her purse on the dining table. As the forensics team scoured the room for clues possibly not visible to the naked eye, Myles and Dimitrius questioned the hotel staff from the receptionist down to the janitors. They also paid a visit to every guest in the building, which earned them a great deal of glares, annoyed residents, and a handful of slammed doors-particularly for couples who'd been appalled at their weekend getaway being disturbed-. They'd shown Lucy's, White's, and Lance's photos to everyone they'd questioned. Steve put out an APB on Lucy, White, and Lance while Tara, with her FBI creds, had been cleared access to the hotel security video feed so she could spy on any and every hallway, floor, and elevator.

"Steve? Look at this." Cheryl spoke up. She was holding a tin spittoon that had been shoved away under the window curtain and hidden behind the loveseat.

"What have you got?" Steve asked as he knelt down next to her, and Tara stood behind them.

"Looks like an assault with a deadly weapon do-dad." Cheryl replied. "And see here, blood." She pointed to the lip at the top base. There was a small pool of blood stained on it.

"Must have been what he used to knock Sue out with." Tara said quietly with a gulp. She was a seasoned FBI agent who'd seen a lot, but...it always made a difference when the victim in question was someone close to her.

"And possibly kept hitting her with." Steve muttered.

"My thoughts are the analysis will confirm it's Agent Thomas's blood." Cheryl remarked as she rose to her feet.

"Or..." Tara started, but lost her words.

"Or?" Steve prodded.

"It could be Lucy's blood too!" Tara declared, shuddering at the mention and thought of it.

"Drew, bag this." Steve ordered the sergeant, as he handed him the assault weapon. "You know, it is possible that Sue also might've used it to fend him off." At least he hoped, then they'd know the phantom attacker's blood type and might be able to track him down if he sought treatment.

"That would be a lucky break." Cheryl agreed.

"All we can do is hope and wait." Tara sighed. Cheryl walked over to the other side of the room and Tara hung her head. Steve was hesitant, but he touched her shoulder reassuringly.

"Hey, it'll be all right. I know you're worried, but we'll find her." Steve said softly. Tara glanced up at him and weakly smiled. "We'll find the dirt bag who did this."

"I know we will." Tara said lowly then cleared her throat. "Thanks. Well, uh..." Steve nervously removed his hand from her and gulped, unsure what to do or say next. "I, uh...I'd better get back to my spy station. Maybe some unwanted wanted thug will pop up. Let's just hope he's not one of those paranoia types." Tara smiled, gaining back some of her spunk.

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "I wouldn't count too much on finding prints, but...maybe we'll get lucky."

"One can always hope." Tara commented.

"I'll, uh, I'll get this to Amanda when we get back to the hospital and have her analyze it. You know, I really hope it's the attacker's blood."

"Don't we all." Tara agreed and went back to her trusty laptop. Myles and Dimitrius entered.

"You guys get anything?" One of the officers asked.

"Well, aside from a bunch of _'Get outs',_ slammed doors ringing in our ears, _'Sorry, we can't help you's, 'You guys figure it out's,_ and several threats to report us to the owner of this building for peeping and invasion of privacy, it's been quite an evening." Myles remarked.

"You know, you westerners bring up such a cooperative culture of people." Dimitrius said sarcastically.

"Well, we're just trying to make you all feel at home." Sgt. Barnes retorted.

"So, you didn't find anything." Steve growled.

"It seems that the desk receptionist and the cleaning lady were the only ones who gave us helpful information." Dimitrius said. "They both saw a guy in an orange jacket and baseball cap, carrying a stack of pizza boxes. But after that, they didn't see anything."

"I'm assuming you showed the ID pics to them." Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, but neither of them recognized White or Lance." Myles muttered.

"So, it could be another accomplice?"

"No clue. What can you tell us about the pizza boxes?"

"Just that they are definitely phony." Steve explained. _"Jay-Jay's Pizza_ went out of business seven years ago. It was a small company, not very widely known, and they went bankrupt really fast. All their merch had been confiscated, at least until now." Steve held up an evidence bag with one of the boxes. "See, look really close right there. See how faded and worn the cardboard is?"

"And how about that logo?" Myles added. "Definitely discolored."

"Then whoever did this had to know about their business." Dimitrius said.

"But why bring expired 'pizza' to someone if they knew it was phony?" Tara asked.

"No offense, but only new comers wouldn't know it was phony." Steve sighed, "Anyone who's lived around here long enough would know that they went out of business years ago."

"But that brings up the real question," Tara gulped. "How did the delivery boy _know_ that Lucy and Sue...are newcomers?" Steve, Myles, Dimitrius, and a couple other officers all glanced at each other wide-eyed.

"Either someone in the hotel is working with him," Sgt. Barnes suggested.

"Or, he's been stalking us." Tara bit her lip.

"I think we need to have a few more questions asked." Dimitrius remarked. "And we need to inform Garret about what's going on." He pulled out his cell phone and left the room again.

"I'd better get a unit over to the warehouse where all of the _Jay-Jay's Pizza_ themed items were stored away, to see if it's been broken into." Steve remarked and pulled out his phone to do just that. After another half hour, Cheryl told Steve he should wrap things up and that they'd catch up later on their findings. Steve agreed and walked over to Tara. "You can bring the video feed with you, right?" He asked.

"Yep." Tara nodded. "I'll go over it again at the hospital." And she closed down her laptop. Dimitrius returned.

"Well?" Myles inquired.

"The desk receptionist said that no one has been asking around for or about us, or the girls." Dimitrius shook his head. "So, if it was White, he didn't advertise his sleuthing."

"But she said she didn't recognize either of his pictures. Which means?" Myles raised his eyebrows...

* * *

 **At Community General**

"If it was White, but she didn't recognize him in either picture, then maybe he's decided to use a different disguise. If he took Lucy, maybe it's because he knows we're on to him." Jesse suggested.

"I don't see how he could've possibly have known that." Myles said.

"Unless, he's been following me since the day you all arrived, when I lost him near the park." Steve huffed.

"Great, just what we need." Myles grunted, leaning on the counter at the nurses' station.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge if I were you." Jack spoke up as he appeared. "Come here. Tara and Mark found something." Myles, Jesse, Steve, Bobby, and Dimitrius followed him back to the lounge.

"What's up?" Jesse asked eagerly.

"What have you got?" Dimitrius asked.

"They found something very interesting on the surveillance video." Jack said with his arms crossed. "You're gonna want to see this."

"You're not going to like it," Tara warned, "but it's definitely a lead you don't want to miss."

"What? The hotel receptionist paid White to sneak into the hotel and then out with Lucy?" Myles spoke cynically.

"Nope." Mark shook his head, placing his glasses back on his face. "But this is just as dangerous."

" _What_?" Steve asked nervously.

"We've been going over the footage from the time we were supposed to meet to the time we arrived and found Sue." Tara explained. "A guy in an orange jacket and an orange baseball cap enter the hotel with pizza boxes with _Jay-Jay's Pizza_ logo on them. Unfortunately, no cameras caught him going in or out of our suite. However, one did catch him dragging Lucy!"

"But once he realized that he'd be seen, he spray-painted it." Mark said.

"There was no other signs of them. Several other cameras on the lower levels of the hotel, including those leading to the basement were covered in spray paint, so they can't tell us much." Tara added.

"So, Lucy was definitely taken!" Jessie piped up.

"Did you get a good look at the guy?" Dimitrius asked hopefully.

"It was pretty brief, but Tara wired the video to Cheryl at the station and ordered her to get some blow up snapshots so we can get a better look at it." Mark answered.

"And see if there's anything else we can pick up." Tara said.

"But from what we were able to see," Mark stated, "the man did not match White's features."

"Terrific!" Steve growled. "Now we have another anonymous accomplice to track down."

"Maybe not." Jack objected. "Like Jessie said, it could be White using a new disguise. With the up-close photos that should be coming in, we might be able to rule that out."

"Let's hope so." Myles said quietly."That would explain why the receptionist didn't recognize any of the pics we showed her of White."

"You said you guys found something really dangerous." Jessie remarked.

"Yeah, what's that about?" Bobby asked.

"We _did._ Well, we were going over the footage from the passed few days in case there was something we missed." Tara stopped and stared intently at the men. "And there was!"

"This is a video taken the day you all arrived in LA," Mark began. "And Tara told me it's about the time she, Lucy, and Sue went back to there before you all came to our place at the beach."

"What are you getting at, Dad?" Steve prodded.

"Take a look really close. Right there! Tara, freeze it." Mark pointed to the screen. Inside the large green bushes behind the chain linked fence across from the hotel was...was a...a man, with a camera!

"Tara, can you blow it up?" Dimitrius spoke. The screen enlarged and though it was fuzzy, everyone recognized the man to be...Jeffrey White!

"Oh, man," Jack gulped hard.

"He's been watching us the whole time?!" Bobby gasped.

"But how did he know?" Jessie sputtered.

"My guess is I didn't lose him that day as well as I thought he did." Steve pursed his lips. "Blast it!"

"So, now we know that he knows where we are." Dimitrius stated. "Question is, does _he_ know how much _we_ know _he_ knows?"

"And he's going to make Lucy his next victim!" Jessie announced, much to everyone's dread.

"We've got to find her before that happens." Mark declared.

"We'll find her!" Steve raised his voice in determination.

"Tara, pack your bags. You're not staying in that hotel a minute longer." Dimitrius ordered.

Tara nodded. "But where can I..."

"She can stay with me." Mark interrupted. They all stared at him quizzically. "It's no trouble. And it'll give us a chance to work together faster at trying to solve this." Though they were in an urgent situation, Steve couldn't help feeling a bit delighted at the prospect of getting to watch Tara closer at her fabulous work, and maybe get to know her better.

"I've always wanted to have a free getaway on the beach in the California sun," Tara cocked her head, smiling. "Looks like an offer I won't be able to refuse."

"Thank you, Dr. Sloan." Bobby whispered in relief. "We appreciate that." He felt more calm knowing Tara would be safer with their new friends than she would be at the hotel. She could work with Mark on tips they might've overlooked, plus Steve would be there to ensure her safety.

"My pleasure, son." Mark smiled, then turned serious again. "Steve, any word from forensics yet?"

"Not yet. But I'd better let them know what's going on now!" Steve replied, pulling out his cell phone.

"So, what are we thinking here?" Myles suggested. "He grabs Lucy, then Sue walks in on the situation and he attacks her so she can't tell us anything?"

"I bet you any kind of money you've hit the nail right on the head, Agent Leland." Mark nodded, wide-eyed.

"I just might take you up on that." Amanda entered the doctor's lounge.

"Well, guys. Sorry, but the blood on the spittoon was definitely Sue's." Amanda sighed.

"Thanks, Amanda." Mark said glumly. "How is she doing?"

"No change yet."

"All right. Bobby, Mark, you want to fill her in on what's going on?" Jack asked. "I'm gonna go be with Sue for a bit."

"Sure thing, mate." Bobby nodded sadly.

* * *

Jack walked quietly through the halls of the ICU and glumly made his way into Sue's room. Levi was lying on the bed between Sue's feet. He glanced at and slightly wagged his tail when he saw Jack. "Hey, buddy." Jack softly patted his head. "You're keeping an eye on her, aren't you? Well, you're doing a good job." Jack stared at Sue's face. She was still unconscious and completely oblivious to his presence. He came closer to her and warmly gripped her hand. Man, how he wished she could hear what he had to say! Then the thought came to him, and he signed into her fingers as he spoke, hoping and wishing by some miracle that she'd understand what he was trying to tell her. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "God," he earnestly prayed, "God, please make it so she can understand me! Please. And watch over Lucy! Help us find her before it's too late!"

He began signing with his fingers into Sue's hand as he spoke the words. **"** **White's-W-H-I-T-E-S got Lucy-L-U-C-Y, Sue-S-U-E. But, trust me. We're gonna find her. We'll find her, Sue-S-U-E. I promise. And...and I promise, this guy won't hurt you again! I won't let him!"**

* * *

 **So, they've been stalked without knowing it!**

 **I would like to thank Snowgirl01 for how much you've enjoyed and followed this story, and keep begging me for more chapters. I'm so glad for your support and that you're reading this fanfic. Remind that for the next chapter I need to include the clues they found or were still searching for from this one.**

 **Just you know, I do have a plot idea for another Diagnosis Murder/Sue Thomas crossover down the road, but let's finish this one first, okay?**


	12. Chapter 12 In the Presence of My Enemy

Lucy couldn't see anything, not with the dark scarf wrapped around her eyes. And the gag in her mouth, plus her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were tied up too. She'd wiggled and tossed and turned until her muscles were tired. All she knew was she must be in the trunk of some car. She heard the muffled motions of other vehicles nearby. She was pretty scared, and wished she had her cell phone with her.

Finally, she could sense the vehicle come to a halt and the vibration of the motor running died down. She heard her confinement open and then she was roughly jerked out then dragged along the ground. She squirmed but it didn't do any good. She was drug for what felt like forever until her abductors pulled her to her feet, then fastened her to a wooden chair. She tried to kick them with her heeled shoes but that was next to impossible seeing as they were wrapped together. "Time for the unveiling." She heard a cold voice. The scarf was removed from her face, and she had to blink several times to shake off the blurry cobwebs from her eyesight. She saw two men standing before her, one of them was wearing a ski mask. She also appeared to be in some sort of cinder block room. It was gray and concrete, and every sound and voice echoed through it. Lucy was frightened, she'd _never_ been held as a hostage before, or even kidnapped for that matter! Her friends had, but this was her first time and Lucy desperately hoped it would be the _only_ time! Lucy was scared, but she was determined not to let her fear show, that would only make her kidnappers gloat and she wasn't about to to give them the satisfaction! In fact, she was ready to play the hard ball.

"All right, you sewer rats!" Lucy snarled. "What's this all about? What do you want from me? If you think I'm gonna become part of your filthy lifework, your wasting your time! Think again. Or on second thought, I'm not sure if you two maggots even know how!" The guy in the ski mask walked up to Lucy and rearing his arm back, he slapped her hard across the face. Lucy didn't yelp-she'd had hostage training-but she did wince, and the searing raw feeling on her face nearly brought her to tears.

"Shut up!" The guy hollered, then he removed his mask. Lucy's eyes widened when she recognized him: Jeffrey White! His face spelled hostile, and though she was afraid to shorten his fuse, she couldn't let him have the upper hand. "I suppose you recognize me, don't you?" White groaned, glaring at her. Lucy bit her lip and stared at him coldly.

"Look, Jeff, we know that your childhood flame really hurt you," Lucy tried to say calmly, "and I can't imagine how that must have felt..."

"Shut up!" White hollered, clenching his fists.

"I'm sure it was unlike anything you ever imagined..." Lucy continued.

"I said shut up!" White trembled in anger.

"But she's dead, White." Lucy declared. "She's gone. You eliminated her already. These poor women you've slaughtered are _not_ Charlotte! You can't just keep taking their lives to grant yourself some temporary revenge. You'll never be satisfied."

"Shut up! Shut Up! SHUT UP!" White howled in rage, and charged at her. He was beginning to regret ever kidnapping this woman. She was different. She knew about him, too much! And as if that wasn't enough, she had the audacity to try and psychoanalyze him! He couldn't have that. He was the one in control here, not her! He furiously raised his fist to whack her face. Lucy bit her lip hard and whimpered, preparing for the horrible blow she knew was coming, but...it never came! The other man grabbed White's arm.

"Wait, wait, wait, Jeff." The guy tried to pacify him. "It's obvious this one's a piece of work. You hit her once and that didn't do any good. Even that won't keep her mouth shut. I think I have a better idea. Shall we say, _more effective?"_ His attempts seemed to be working, for White halted his planned assault. Lucy gritted her teeth, watching every move, thankful she could still feel her face, but honestly scared as to what White's partner meant by _more effective._

"Just tell me, Lance!" White growled. "Spill it, I'm listening. But it won't last long." White did, however, grant himself some brutal pleasure in pinching Lucy's shoulder really hard. She cringed in pain.

"Get...your...dirty hands...off me!" She gasped and lunging her head forward, knocked his arm away, making him release her. _Boy, I'm glad that Bobby showed me the head-butt!_

"Maybe she wouldn't be so difficult if she had something else to worry about." Lance sneered.

" _What?"_ White asked impatiently.

"I...I mean, if she had _someone_ else to worry about." Lance said proudly, looking directly at Lucy. Her eyes widened with worry. Unfortunately, yes, he'd seen that flash of fear on her face, but she _was_ worried. Then she turned her expression into a glower. White's eyebrows rose, and his tense muscles went lax.

"Don't you dare!" Lucy hollered. She realized it was a mistake to speak out. Now, they were going to follow through with whatever they had planned just to keep her agitated. _Please, God, no more murder victims! This rat's done enough!_

"Like if she knew that it wouldn't be very pretty for one of her special friends, if she won't settle down that is, maybe she won't give us anymore trouble." Lance smiled evilly. White's sinister countenance curled into a sickening sneer. Lucy's heart pounded in her ears, and she wondered if the men could hear it. If only she had her cell phone, maybe her friends could track her down through the signal location, if she'd even have one that is! White faced her.

"Which friend did you have in mind? I'm listening." He said in an eerily calm voice.

"A very 'special' friend." Lance answered.

"Mmm. What would I do without you?" White asked.

"Not much, that's for sure. Not with your temper." Lance chuckled.

"What do you think, Miss Dotson?" White asked Lucy with a glare. Lucy returned his gaze with a silent scowl. "You know what I almost just did to you? I almost knocked your pretty block off. Well, that's nothing compared to what I'll do to your 'special' friend if you don't behave! You get me?"

"The FBI doesn't play nice when one of their own is involved," Lucy snarled lowly. "The joke's on _you!"_ She hoped this would scare him, though she doubted it very much. But, she _couldn't_ let him just go and harm her very best friend! She just couldn't!

"I think we've heard enough." White said firmly and grabbed her by the throat, making her gag. "Listen here, you pea brain," White growled. "You can't fix me. So don't even try. You women are all alike: two-timers and back-stabbers! You don't deserve to live, none of you! You only bring pain into the world. Well, I'm going to fix that! I've learned what it's like to give your heart to a woman, nothing but pain and trouble."

"You...you c...you can't kill...every woman in...the country!" Lucy sputtered between desperate breaths. This only ticked White off more, and he tightened his clasp on her neck. She choked hard and head-butted him, causing him to break his grip! Lucy gasped for air, and White wagged his hand back and forth.

"Okay, have it your way." He grunted, standing up straight. "But when the FBI finds your friend as the next victim, her blood is going to be on _your_ head! Can't say I didn't warn you!" He laughed derisively.

"You...won't...get away...with this!" Lucy panted. The two men snickered, then turned out the light and shut the door, and Lucy was left alone.

Lucy shivered, but was thankful that they temporarily gave her some privacy. Yet, she felt terribly lonely. She struggled against her captive hog ties, but it was futile. She panted frantically. Those two thugs kept referring to her 'special' friend. That could only mean one person! She only hoped and prayed that the team could keep her safe and beef up their security skills 'til they found Lucy. "Come on, guys." She pleaded. "Don't fail me! I _know_ you can find me...please. Don't fail me now!"


	13. Chapter 13 Slim Pickens

Dimitrius and Steve escorted Tara back to the hotel to grab her things, plus Lucy's and Sue's so no one would steal them. They'd informed SOG on their developments and demanded that they have them watching the hotel and the beach house to be on the safe side. Dimitrius had also gotten a hold of Ted Garret to inform him of the situation. Ted told them to spread out a dragnet for the entire state of California, though D assured him that they were sure White was somewhere within their radius.

* * *

In the mean time, Jack and Bobby lingered at the hospital with Myles. Bobby and Myles were both sitting quietly in the waiting room sipping coffee while Jack sat with Sue in her hospital room as Mark, Jessie, and Amanda did their rounds. "We still have the whereabouts of White's purchases to trace." Bobby spoke up.

"Mmm-hmm." Myles nodded with a grunt. He couldn't believe it. Out of all the situations they'd dealt with, this one was different to him: Sue had actually been hurt this time, and...and Lucy, _Lucy_ his ex-girlfriend who enjoyed reminding him of where they stood in their friendship but kept things from getting dull, was missing! She was in real danger, and Myles personally felt rotten inside, imagining the ugly reality of what might happen to her if it was White who'd taken her. "I sure wish we'd hear from Sloan soon, with those pictures."

"Aye." Bobby agreed.

Mark quietly tip-toed into Sue's hospital room, so not to disturb Jack. The handsome young agent was sitting defeated in the chair next to Sue's bed. Levi was sitting close to Jack with his sad head in Jack's lap. Jack stared straight ahead, a concoction of longing, anger, fear, frustration, and sadness etched all over his whole being. Mark gazed empathetically, his heart swelling with warmth at the obvious deep care and concern Jack held for the woman who lay unconscious just a foot away from him. Levi tilted his head toward the good doctor and moaned. Jack glanced in his direction. "Oh, Mark." He said quietly. "Sorry, I didn't even know you were there."

"Aw, that's all right." Mark waved it off and stepped closer. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better." Jack mumbled. "Don't worry. I'll be okay." Mark looked down at Levi and knelt next to him, rubbing behind the dog's ears. Levi placed his paw on Mark's arm.

"Well, my shift's over," Mark explained to Jack. "I'm gonna head to the house and help Tara get settled."

"Yeah. Thank you for letting her stay, Dr. Sloan. We'll feel much better knowing she won't be residing at the hotel anymore." Jack said fervently.

"Oh, it's only my pleasure. She's quite sharp."

"She is." Jack agreed, but it wasn't heartfelt.

"Jack," Mark said in a more serious tone, "I know you're worried about Sue. And Lucy." He touched the agent's shoulder. "But Sue's getting the best care possible, she's in the right place she needs to be right now, and she's under the hands of the best doctors in Los Angeles. And there's no better cop in the city than Steve." He spoke with pride, maybe a bit of prejudice, and above all, sincerity and admiration. "Take my word, Jack. You couldn't have a better man working with your team. You're very lucky to have him helping you."

Jack nodded quietly. He did disagree with the wise older man. Mark had said that they couldn't have a better man than Steve helping them solve this case and find Lucy. Well, that was where Mark was wrong in Jack's eyes. _Mark_ was the extra brilliant mind that they were fortunate to have on their side. He was the one who'd singled out White and noticed other little things that ordinary people wouldn't. If it wasn't for him, they might still have been running around in circles, wondering if White was even in the sunny state.

"Well, I should get going." Mark patted his shoulder. "And please, call me if you need anything."

"Thank you," Jack whispered, also giving the hand sign for _thank you._ Mark smiled and bent over to give Levi an encouraging stroke under his furry chin. The dog gulped and touched the doctor's hand with his paw. "Wait a minute, please." Jack spoke up as Mark started to walk out. Mark turned to face him. Jack stood up from his chair and walked over to him. Mark waited and listened. The agent seemed to be having trouble getting his words out.

"Look, uh..." Jack began. "We really appreciate everything you've done, Dr. Sloan. You've helped us more than we ever imagined. We're lucky to have _you_ on our side."

"Oh, it's nothing, really." Mark shook his head. "This is all for the cause of justice."

"I...I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'd like you to keep working with us. We've _got_ to find Lucy! And I honestly feel we can't do it alone. _Mark,_ please, if there's anything you can think of or come up with that you think will help us find her, _please_ don't hesitate to share it with us!" Jack sadly glanced back at Sue. "I...I don't want anyone else to end up in here like this."

"Or worse." Mark added. "Especially your friends."

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "Do you think Sue will be all right?"

"I'm sure she will, Jack." Mark said fervently. "I've seen patients in much worse shape than her make a complete recovery." His mind went especially to Steve and his nearly fatal shooting by Gordon Gonzalez almost two years ago. He could still remember the drilling terror he'd felt watching his son lay listless day after day, living on life support with little hope of healing. And Mark thanked God every day that his son was back on his feet, just as determined and full of vigor as ever! "I think she has a good chance of making a full recovery, Jack. It's just going to take some time. And with all the love and friendship she has..." he stared closely at Jack with a twinkle in his eyes, "I don't see any reason why she shouldn't pull through this." Jack's shoulders sagged with a bit of relief. "Now, you take it easy and try to stay calm." Mark instructed. "Steve's jumping on his connections and he'll let you know as soon as he has something. In the mean time, Amanda and Delores are here, and Jessie's here if you need anything or if Sue needs anything, okay?"

"Okay." Jack said.

"It'll be all right, son. Take care, Jack. And don't hesitate if you need something."

"Thank you." Jack weakly smiled. Mark left the room and Jack slumped back down in his chair, with Levi close by. He stared endlessly at Sue. He reached out and held her hand. **"We'll find** **Lucy L-U-C-Y** **, S-U-E Sue."** He signed with his fingers.

* * *

"Hi, Mark." Amanda smiled at her friend as he entered her pathology lab.

"Hi. I'm leaving now. But please call me if there's any change in Sue's condition." Mark said.

"Of course. Do you think White did this?"

"Who else could it have been?"

"Right. Well, I'll talk to you later."

"Mmm-hmm." Mark nodded and left. He waved to Myles and Bobby in the waiting room. They both stood and came over to him.

"You mind if I go with you?" Myles asked. "If there's any developments I want to be there."

"Sure." Mark agreed.

"I'll stay here with Jack." Bobby sighed.

"That's good. And keep an eye on him. He's feeling pretty down right now, but I'm sure you know that."

"Right, oh." Bobby whispered and went to see his best friend. Jack was still sitting there. Levi glanced up at the Aussie but remained on the floor. Bobby didn't say anything and neither did Jack. Bobby just walked over to him and stood at his side, both in silent pondering but gratification for the other's company.

* * *

"Well, here's our guest room," Steve said to Tara. "I hope it'll be okay."

"It's fine." Tara nodded. "Thanks." She set her tote on the floor and Dimitrius brought in Sue's and Lucy's luggage.

"Thanks a lot, Lt. I'm sure she'll be safer here." Dimitrius spoke.

"I'm sure I will." Tara smiled. Then she immediately dug into her bag and pulled out her laptop and earpiece. She walked straight into the den and set her station up. Steve couldn't help admiring the way she stayed right in top of things and got right down to business.

"Nothing from forensics yet." He said as they followed her. "But they should be calling any minute." Right then, Mark and Myles walked into the house. "Dad, any change?" Steve inquired hopefully and Dimitrius and Tara both looked up unexpectedly. Mark shook his head.

"I'm gonna see if there's anything else on here we can pick up." Tara cleared her throat and went back to her laptop. "By the way, how's Levi?"

"He's really sad. I think we'll let Levi stay at the hospital." Mark stated. "I don't have the heart right now to pry him away."

"That's a good idea. He and Sue are inseparable." Dimitrius answered.

"And I wouldn't worry about clearance from administration. Once we explain to Norman what's going on, he'll make the exception." Mark added. Finally, Steve's cell phone rang and he wasted no time answering it.

"Yeah? It's me," and he walked away. D, Tara, Myles, and Mark all waited with baited breath. It seemed like forever before Steve returned though it was only two minutes. "Well, it turns out that the storage locker where the _Jay-Jay's Pizza_ expired stock has been kept. Looks like the lock was broken with a sledgehammer. They found it two sheds away in the bushes. Unfortunately, there were no prints. Yes, a uniform jacket and cap were stolen and a stack of pizza boxes, but no other signs of any missing items. Oh! And they found the jacket and cap ditched in a dumpster a block away from your hotel. They're running it right now for DNA."

"Have you gotten a rush on those snapshots?" Myles asked.

"Yeah, they should be here any minute." Steve replied. As if on cue, there was a rapid knocking on the front door. Mark answered it and let Cheryl in. "Cheryl, you got the pics?"

"Yep." She nodded, handing the envelope over to him. He pulled out the pictures and distributed them. They all gazed deeply at the subjects on the hard copy screenshots."You recognize him?"

"No." Myles sighed.

"Nope." Dimitrius added.

"Dr. Sloan, do you have a screen movie projector?" Tara asked.

"Sure do. I'll go get it." Mark said.

"What you got, Tara?" D asked.

"Let's try to run our suspect's face imaging through the biometrics system. I know the pics are a bit blurry, but let's see if it turns up anything." Tara replied. Mark returned and with Steve's help, quickly set up the projector and flashed the light from it on the fireplace. Tara typed flawlessly and within minutes they had their result.

"Looks like we've got a match." Steve stated, relieved to have some identity on the thug who'd grabbed Lucy.

"Only, it's not who you think." Mark corrected him, standing behind Tara.

"What?" Myles gaped.

"Look, it's not Jeff White who's eyes and nose match up with the man in the photo. It's Howard Lance."

"So, not only is Lance most likely providing White with his poisons, he's decided to join his cause." Dimitrius said in an annoyed tone. "How brotherly. We'd better call Jack, let him know how much we found out."

"Nice work, Tara." Mark smiled, patting her shoulder. She just smiled back.

"Very proficient." Steve added with admiration.

"Any more irregular activity on White's credit card records?" Cheryl asked.

"Nothing's popped up yet, but we're watching it closely." Tara replied.

"Unfortunately, we still have no footage on what exactly happened to Sue," Mark explained, "all we have is a theory."

"Though I professionally think it's the closest to the truth." Myles spoke.

"Well, keep working on it, and Steve? Call us the minute you get anything suspicious or concrete." Cheryl said as she walked out.

"Same to you." Steve eyed her.

* * *

Jack wasn't excited when he heard the news, but at least it was something. It was a few steps closer to finding Lucy, but still not enough. They still had no address to look up, nothing absolute to lead them to that location, and still no reason they could come up with for why White was doing this so outside his regular lifestyle.

* * *

 **I'm very sorry that I took so long to write this chapter. I had many clues and positions that I debated on whether to put them in here or not. But if I don't put everything in here at once, that'll mean more chapters!**


	14. Chapter 14 Time is Slipping!

While Tara sat at her laptop, watching the screen for any irregular activity from her surveillance on White's visible activities, Mark and Steve went over the pinpoint areas on the map where White had made purchases. Myles and Dimitrius listened and gave their input. "Okay, this is the last location he's been recorded being at, right?" Mark asked.

"That's right." Dimitrius nodded.

"At least until we found out he's been watching the ladies." Myles added.

"Well, there's the park where he dumped Missy Frazier, so we know he was in the vicinity." Steve said, pointing at the map. They reviewed the placements of the victims, White's shopping list, and whatever else they could think of. "I hate to say this," Steve grumbled, "but we're still nowhere."

"The best we can tell is that each place White has visited in and out of LA has been within a forty miles radius." Mark stated.

"Yeah, and he could be hiding in any one of them." Steve huffed. "There's gotta be at least twenty-five thousand places he could be keeping Lucy, and we don't have a darn at all of where!"

"Has anyone given any thought to the possibility that White might not even be in California anymore?" Myles asked angrily. Everyone frowned and looked at him glumly. "I mean, he said he was going big next time, and now he has a member of the FBI. He might've charted a private plane and took off, completely out of our radar."

" _Thanks_ for pointing that out, Myles." Dimitrius snarled. He really didn't want to consider the possibility of what Myles had said, but it was too warm, too possibly true.

Tara cleared her throat to speak up. _"However,_ there's nothing in any of White's profile that indicates he could have a plane, or knows anyone that could."

"Of course not, and we had no whiff that he had a partner on the sidelines either, till Lance unsuspectingly entered the picture." Myles muttered.

"There's gotta be _something_ here right in front of our nose that we're just too dumb to see!" Steve growled. Then he realized what he'd just said. "Sorry," he moaned, "I...I didn't mean to say..."

"We understand." Dimitrius said.

* * *

For the next two days, Mark, Steve, Jessie, Amanda, and the team split their time between sitting around at the hospital, BBQ Bob's, the LAPD, and the beach house. They kept going over what they already knew and tried overtime to come up with a clue as to where White was hiding out. But they were no closer to figuring it out than when Lucy had first been kidnapped! Everyone prayed for her safety and Sue's recovery, but they were all very worried. White's usual pattern was to kidnap a woman, keep her missing for three to five days, and then dump her body. It had been two days since he'd taken Lucy, and all her friends were in mental torture knowing that she could be killed within hours. They all tried to keep up a determined facade and stay on task, yet each one knew full well the implications of what would most likely happen. It was almost as if they had no choice but to wait until Lucy's...her...her body showed up for them to get anywhere, but none of them were planning to take that option. Thankfully, according to Tara and Norman-who had his social connections and agreed to help if he could-, neither White nor Lance had taken a plane out of the state, using an alias or not. And according to SOG, neither of the thugs had been spotted near the hotel or the beach house. But still, every minute, every hour, every day they lost could be one closer to Lucy losing her life!

* * *

Lucy had been kept tied to the same chair in the same cold, cinder block room. She was cold, and hungry, lonesome, thirsty, angry, and scared. She still couldn't figure out where she was. There was a long, high window along the wall behind her, but that was all, with a single florescent light bulb hanging from the ceiling. She wanted out. If only she had her cell phone with her, then surely Jack and the gang could trace its signal! She wondered what this room, this building had been used for at one time before. She decided to use her FBI powers of observation and try to figure out where she could possibly be by listening to the noises outside the building. It's not like that would do her much good, considering she had no way of alerting her friends to her location, but then on the other hand, what else could she do? There wasn't really anything else she _could_ do, except pray for deliverance and for her friends to find her.

White and Lance had mostly left her alone, except when they came to intimidate her. Every time they did, she glared at them and tried to stay silent, which increased White's anger. She'd told him once before what was what, and that had ticked him off. But her inflexible, indignant silence made it worse to him! He felt he was losing control of the situation and _her_ when she didn't fight back. She was, with her mute but unquestionable scowl, but not the way he wanted. He wanted to see her squirm, he wanted to see her flinch, cower, cry, any sign of weakness because he'd inflicted pain, which gave him a shallow sense of triumph after that woman he'd loved had back-stabbed him! But things weren't going his way. After all he'd done in the past, taking Lucy seemed to have been the biggest flaw in his dirty work. There was something about her that he just couldn't seem to destroy and it frustrated him. All his other victims had been weak (in his eyes), and he'd been able to break them by breaking their spirits before they died and then he broke their corpses. But Lucy wouldn't back down and that made him desperate. He had to gain back control of the situation! The only time he saw a flicker of fear flash in Lucy's eyes was any time she heard him threaten to harm her 'special' friend, and that gave White a sliver of hope. That was her weak spot and he would abuse it as much as he wanted. The prospect of crushing her spirit by carrying out his threat delighted him in hideous inspiration.

* * *

"I wish he'd show himself!" Myles blurted out in frustration. "I'd just like for that bloodthirsty ne'er-do-well to try to run after we show him our badges." It was the late evening of the second day, and they were still nowhere.

"If only White had a getaway vehicle, then we could trace it easily!" Steve added his distaste. Mark and the others watched on in silent agreement. Mark decided to leave the lounge and check on Jack. "Excuse me. I need a drink." Steve muttered. "Can I get anyone else something?"

"How about a man-sized spy drone that says FBI on it, with a loud speaker declaring, 'show yourself!'?" Myles rolled his eyes.

"I have a couple patients to check on." Jessie sighed and left the lounge. Amanda stayed there with Dimitrius, Bobby, and Tara.

"Heading up to ICU again?" Delores asked Mark as he passed her at the nurses' station.

"Yep." Mark sighed. "I just want to make sure Sue's okay, and her poor dog."

"And that handsome, worried young agent, right?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Have you seen that poor boy lately?" Delores asked. "He's just a wasting away, worrying about that pretty girl."

"I know." Mark nodded in agreement. "He's really afraid for her. This is hitting him hard."

"Mmm. Small wonder. I've seen the look on his face. I've seen the formula that forms when they're together."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Delores?" Mark asked.

"I'm not thinking. I know! Doc, we've got a case of human spontaneous combustion!"

Mark smiled and walked down the hall.

* * *

"Mr. Hudson, is there anything I can get for you?" Susan asked kindly, touching his shoulder. Though her call was in ER not ICU, the whole gang had been keeping a close eye on Sue, Jack, and Levi.

"Oh, no thanks." Jack shook his head. "That's okay. I'm fine. But thanks anyway."

"You know, you look bushed."

"I feel bushed."

"Maybe you should go take a rest. I can stay here with her until you get back."

"That's okay. I'll stay. But thanks for checking up on me."

"Sure." Susan smiled, patting his arm and walked out. She passed Mark on her way from the elevators. "Hi, Dr. Sloan."

"Hey, Susan." Mark replied. "How's..."

"No change." Susan shook her head. "With any of them."

"Okay, thanks." Mark nodded, touching her shoulder, then continued his mission.

"How is he?" Jessie asked when Susan returned to the nurses' station. She shook her head. "Well, I can understand how he feels."

"Oh, you can?" Susan asked curiously with a hint of haughtiness.

"Of course. I mean, if that was you in there...I..."

"You what?"

"I wouldn't be happy about it."

"Hmm. Well, sorry. Tough luck, Dr. Travis. Not gonna happen." Susan cocked her head and walked to the elevator.

* * *

Tara decided to stretch her legs and grabbed herself a Sprite from the vending machine. Then she stood against the wall outside the lounge. Steve saw her when he returned and nervously walked over to her. "I hate this whole mess!" He growled, gulping down his bottle of Fresca.

"Don't we all." Tara agreed with a heavy sigh, sipping her soda. "I sure wish White would make a bad slip soon. I'm getting tired of staring at monotonous, stale old records." Steve slightly grinned at her light, humorous remark. She was trying to keep her head together through this nightmare and he couldn't help admiring the laid-back way she was able to do it. Though he'd seen the dismay and worry cross her face every time they'd failed to come up with a lead.

"Well, we're not giving up." Steve said confidently, trying to be positive too. "We may be looking for a needle in a haystack, but we've dealt with worse and found a needle."

"So have we." Tara said quietly, but with a slight smile. "And as Jack says, 'I love a good haystack'. I'm just glad this one isn't burying us in paperwork. You know, I always think much clearer with a computer screen than loads of paper?"

"Oh, I feel ya!" Steve actually found himself slightly laughing. He for one hated paperwork. "It's tedious, slow, above all, boring..."

"And mind-boggling." Tara finished for him.

"Yeah." Steve gulped at what he was about to attempt to try to say. "Miss Williams...er, I mean... _Tara..."_ he cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"I know this so isn't the right time, and I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances, but..." Steve cleared his throat again, "when this is all over, I was wondering if...I was _hoping..._ I thought I might take you out somewhere to dinner, to celebrate. I-if you'd like to, that is! I'd, uh...y-you don't have to say yes if you don't want to."

Tara stared at him with her eyebrows raised. She blinked. "Uh...this is really unexpected, Lt." She chuckled. "I...I don't know what to say. Except, that's very thoughtful of you, but..."

"But?" Steve gulped.

"I'd like to think about it." Tara answered. She was still going with Stanley, when he was in town that is, but Steve's offer sounded very welcoming and kind. Yet, she didn't want to play the game of trying to stay true to more than one. She'd done that once and it hadn't gone over very well.

"Sure." Steve agreed. _She didn't say no!_ He thought hopefully. _Of course, I shouldn't have expected her to say yes right away. I mean, we've really just met. But...she didn't say no!_

* * *

Mark quietly entered Sue's room. Jack was standing looking out the window with his back to the elder gentleman. Levi looked up at Mark from his spot on Sue's bed. He was curled up between her legs. He stared at Mark then put his head back down. Mark cocked his head sympathetically and rubbed the dog's head. "You're such a good boy," He whispered. "Jack? You all right?" Jack slowly turned.

"Oh, hey." He said quietly. "I'm okay."

Mark shook his head. "No, you're _not_ okay. You look exhausted. Why don't you go back to the hotel and get some sleep? I can stay with Sue for a while."

"Thanks, Mark, but no. I'm not leaving her. I...I can't." Jack weakly argued.

"Well, I can see that I'm not gonna change your mind. And I understand, son. At least come out and stretch your legs. Why don't we take a short walk? You can come right back as soon as you're done. A little change of scenery won't hurt." Mark encouraged. Jack pondered for a moment but hesitated. "Don't worry. If there's any change, a nurse out in the hall will page me."

"Alright." Jack sighed heavily. "It is a little confining in here. At least I'm not the one in the bed though. That would make it worse."

"Yeah, it sure would." Mark snickered.

"I'll be right back, Bud." Jack smiled at Levi, scratching under his chin. Then he silently signed to Sue, **"I'll be back for you."** He looked back at her room as Mark pulled him along.

"Take it easy, Jack. She's not going anywhere." Mark said, patting his shoulder.

"I know." Jack nodded.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you? It's okay. She's very blessed to have someone like you."

Jack remained silent. He hoped Mark was right. He hoped that he was what Sue needed, what Sue _wanted_ from a husband. He'd tried so hard to be what he thought would qualify, that and more. He and Mark never saw or noticed the two looming figures waiting for them to leave Sue's hospital room!

"Any news at all?" Jack finally spoke up.

"Nothing yet." Mark shook his head dejectedly. Jack grimaced. He didn't like that answer.

* * *

 **What do you think is going to happen? Will they find Lucy?**


	15. Chapter 15 A Terrible Fright

"You really care about that girl, don't you?" Mark prodded gently. Jack opened his mouth but no words came out. He couldn't deny it, but he wasn't sure if he should say it either. "Jack, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Sue's a very lovely girl, and I don't just mean her outward appearance. Son, if you love her-and I know she loves you, I've seen her-, then _you're_ gonna have to be the one to take the initiative and step up to plate."

Jack seriously pondered the wise doctor's words. He actually smiled. Heck, what was the matter with him? After all this time, and he and Sue knew their feelings for each other when they looked into each other's eyes, after all they'd been through together on and off the job, how many times he'd almost lost her and wanted to give up...why not? Why shouldn't he tell her he loved her?

"Thanks, Mark." He smiled quietly. "I'm gonna head back now."

"Okay." Mark smiled, patting his shoulder.

"And...thanks. Thank you."

"Anytime." Mark replied and went to the doctor's lounge.

Jack skipped to Sue's room, his stomach fluttering wildly, his heart pounding loudly, driving out any other noise. He was scared, but he had to do it! He was finally going to do _it!_ She might not accept him, but he had to be honest. Besides, he was tired of being too scared anyway. At first, he started to tip-toe then remembered that she couldn't hear him, plus wouldn't know he was there anyway in her state of mind right now. He peeked around the door and stepped in. "Levi? Hey, boy?" He greeted pleasantly. "It's Jack, buddy." It was dark in the room, but Jack suddenly had a sinking feeling in his body. Something was very wrong! He flipped on the light switch and his heart skipped a couple beats when he saw that Sue was NOT in her hospital bed! He quickly rushed toward the window in case she'd risen from bed and fallen, but she wasn't anywhere around! "Sue!" He called, then smacked his forehead, remembering that she couldn't hear him. "Levi! Levi! Where are ya, buddy?" Then Jack noticed a large lump on the hospital bed, swaddled in the blankets. He snatched it off: there was Levi, lying on his side, totally out!

"Levi! Levi, bud, it's Jack!" Jack frantically shook the dog, but Levi didn't respond. Jack gasped. He burst out of Sue's room, raced down the halls around the corners straight to the lounge. "BOBBY! Dr. Sloan?! Get over here!" He shouted. A whole gang of footsteps echoed as his friends and Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jessie appeared.

"What is it, Jack?" Bobby asked.

"Sue's gone!" Jack blurted out anxiously.

"What?!" Steve blurted out.

"Gone?!" Mark and Bobby exclaimed together.

"Follow me!" Jack ordered and led them back to ICU to Sue's room where Levi was unconscious on her hospital bed.

"Blast! She _is_ gone!" Steve vented.

"Oh, Levi," Tara gasped, looking at her pal. Mark and Jessie checked his eyes, and pulse.

"He's alive. But it looks like he's been drugged." Jessie stated calmly.

"Did anyone take her out for more tests or anything?" Myles inquired.

"No." Amanda shook her head. "She's supposed to be right here, resting and being monitored!"

"There's no way she could've gotten out of this room on her own with the condition she's in." Jessie stated. Amanda quickly questioned the nurses at their station, but each one assured her the had not seen Sue leave her room.

"Then she's been taken!" Tara gulped.

"We'd better split up." Steve said.

"All right, Myles? You check the emergency, and main entrance downstairs and see if someone has her." Jack commanded. "D, check every nurses' station in this hospital and find out if anyone's been wheeled out or wandering around answering her description. Tara, notify security and have them posed at all exits and elevators to be on the lookout for Sue or someone taking her! And tell them to also check the parking garage, every floor! And also check with the dispatcher and inquire of any ambulances leaving the hospital. Have security check any leaving, we've got to make sure she's not in one of them! Bobby, you and I will go check the emergency exits. Let's go!"

"Amanda, check the ladies' rooms to see if she's been dumped there." Mark ordered. Amanda nodded and rushed out.

"Jess? You check all of the OR's in here, and call security immediately if you find any being performed that weren't scheduled." Steve said firmly. "Also check the lab!" Jessie scurried out of the room. Steve glanced at Mark. "You take care of the dog, Dad. He may be our only shot of finding her! I'm gonna check down in the morgue. If someone's abducted her, he might have gone that way." Then Steve took off too.

Mark silently prayed that Sue would be found safe, and her friend Lucy too. He stared down at Levi and softly stroked the Golden's fur. "It'll be okay, boy. We'll find her. We'll find them." He whispered.

* * *

Everyone did exactly as they'd been instructed, then met back in the doctor's lounge. Jack was waiting there with Bobby, Amanda, Norman, Delores, and Dimitrius. None of them had found any news. Mark walked in. "H-how's Levi?" Bobby asked quietly.

"I think he'll be all right." Mark nodded. "Whoever took Sue, injected him with a sedative. He should wake up soon."

"Tough little mate." Bobby grinned slightly. Jack just stood there with a restless look on his face. Myles walked in and everyone looked to him for answers. He shook his head.

"No one answering her description was seen coming in or going out." He sighed.

"Same here." D sighed. Jessie appeared. He was panting and leaning against the wall.

"Nothing." He said sadly.

"Oh, gracious. This is a terrible disaster." Norman stated in a nervous tone. "An FBI agent, a _patient,_ disappears right under the doctors' noses. Let's hope she comes to no harm."

"We don't need embellishment right now, Mr. Briggs." Delores rolled her eyes. Bobby closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration.

"We're all doing our best." Amanda told him softly. Bobby bit his lip and stared angrily at the wall.

"Tara, are you getting _anything_?" Jack asked anxiously, looking over at the computer geek.

"Security was just called down to the emergency exit in the basement." Tara replied. "Don't know yet what for." Jack sighed and crossed his arms. He felt like such a failure. Two of his dear friends, one of them he loved with all his heart, were out there somewhere, most likely being held by too clever, resourceful, ruthless killers, and at this moment, he had no idea where! He prayed in his head over and over again that they were unharmed.

10 minutes later, Steve entered the doctor's lounge and everyone faced him, hoping he had some news. "Steve, what happened down there?" Mark asked.

"I'd just reached the morgue when I thought I heard wheels on the floor," Steve explained. "I turned the corner and saw two aides moving a gurney through the exit. The person on it was covered in a sheet. I told them to stop, and showed my badge, and asked to see the body. One of them took a swing at me, then they both rushed outside. The one who tried to hit me fired at me. Security showed up and we all took shots at the Hurst where they loaded the stretcher." Jack's heart raced to think if Sue _was_ on that stretcher and if one of those shots had… "We got one of them in the left shoulder, but they sped away."

"Great." Myles muttered. Bobby slammed his palms on the wall.

"Tara, get out an APB on Sue and any..." Jack started to say.

"I've already done that." Steve cut him off. "I've also requested any local hospitals or other medical facilities to inform us if they get a dark-haired guy coming in with a gunshot wound to the left shoulder."

"What can you tell us about the men?" D asked Steve.

"Uh, one was shorter and muscular-the one who swung at me-," Steve answered, "The other was tall and thin, but they were both wearing surgical caps and masks, so I couldn't exactly see them clearly."

"Okay, we need to track down every move they've made in this hospital tonight." Bobby remarked. "Even if they don't have Sue, their behavior was very odd."

"They've _got_ to have her." Jack shook his head. "It's gotta be White!"

"Tara, talk to the director and see if you can get the hospital's security video feed. Maybe a few of the cameras will pick up some interesting images." D instructed.

"I'm already putting on my spy mask." Tara nodded, dialing on the phone next to her.

"Jack, Bobby, go back in Sue's hospital room." D continued. "Maybe we'll get lucky and our two alleged kidnappers dropped something. I'm just hoping Levi can tell us more when he wakes up."

"Yeah, how is he, Dad?" Steve asked Mark.

"Fine. Someone slipped him a sedative, but it was a light dose, just long enough for the kidnapper to make sure he was asleep, then take her away without the dog putting up a fight or alerting anyone." Mark said.

"Is it possible though that she _might've_ come to, and suffered amnesia or a concussion from her injury?" Myles suggested. "I mean, she could be wandering around at this moment not even aware of who she is."

"It's slightly possible," Jessie shrugged. "But I highly doubt it. With her readings, she would've needed help getting out of bed, and would've collapsed very soon if she just started walking around."

"I agree." Mark nodded. "She was too lethargic to be able to get out that fast."

"There were too many incidents to indicate that this wasn't carefully maneuvered." Jack said.

"So, it's obvious that they disguised as orderlies, snuck up here and into her room..." Dimitrius said.

"Oh, good heavens!" Norman exclaimed.

"Sedated the dog before he could put up a struggle..." Steve added.

"Placed her on the stretcher, and covered the sheet over her..." Jessie stated.

"And walked out of here knowing no one would suspect them." Mark finished.

"Yeah." Jack said flatly. "Right behind our backs!"

"Perfect disguise." Bobby sighed.

"But why take Miss Thomas?" Amanda asked. "I mean, she's in a coma, and if she comes to while in their hands, she's gonna have a hard time focusing."

"Yeah, after what happened, if they're the ones who also abducted Lucy Dotson, it's not like Miss Thomas will be of much use to them." Jessie pointed out.

"Intimidation." Myles simply stated. "Trying to keep us from sticking our professional noses into whatever grimy business they're concocting."

"The no good scoundrels have dark minds." Delores huffed. "I'd like to see them ask me for medical treatment!"

"Someone must be feeling the heat, so we must really be onto them more than we think." Bobby added.

"But, why use a Hurst?" Jessie asked. "I don't get that part."

"Makes a perfect getaway car, and who's gonna disturb it? No one's gonna think twice about looking in it." Steve declared.

"I think Steve has hit it." Dimitrius replied.

"Maybe we'll have more luck when Tara shows us the footage from the security cameras." Jack sighed.

"I'm working on it." Tara remarked.

Jack grew extremely quiet. Lucy and Sue were both missing, most likely at the hands of these dangerous, clever criminals, and he along with his trusty team members had _no idea where!_ "Hey, ya all right, mate?" Bobby asked him. Jack huffed and shook his head.

"I just pray to God they don't….you know." He said lowly, his eyes wide with fear. He would never be able to live with himself if they didn't get Sue or Lucy back...alive. Bobby hung his head and glanced at Tara, busy as usual at her computer. He was incredibly grateful right now that she was safe, here with them.

"We'll find them." Steve spoke up, then took a big gulp of coffee.A few minutes later, Amanda returned.

"Hey, guys? Someone who wanted to have some company is here." She smiled. Everyone looked in the doorway. Levi slowly stepped inside, hanging his head and looking forlorn. "He looked so sad, I just couldn't leave him in there by himself."

"Hey, fellow?" Jessie smiled at the dog, who kept his head low and whined. His eyes were on Jack. Jack knelt down and patted his knee.

"Come here, buddy." He said softly. Levi whined again and walked glumly over to him and rested his head on his knee. He looked up mournfully into Jack's eyes and whimpered. Jack patted his head and rubbed his ears. "It's okay, bud. We're gonna get them back." Then he whispered, "We'll get _her_ back." The grieving dog lowered his head and cried again.

"Aaaww." Mark, Jessie, and Amanda shook their heads.

"Poor guy." Steve said. Bobby came over and knelt next to the sad pooch and ruffled his shoulders.

"Awww, good on ya mate." He said, trying to sound cheerful. "You're with the best search and seizure team in the world right now, ya know that, huh? Heh? Yes, you'd like to give a fang steak to those drongoes, wouldn't ya? _Yyyesss, you would."_

"How I'd like to see that!" Delores exclaimed. "Poor baby."

"We're doing our best, Levi." Tara said.

"Come here, fellow." Mark patted his knee. Levi glanced at Jack who nodded and Levi trudged over to Mark who knelt down on the floor. "Hey, it's all right. It's okay." He said softly. "And we're gonna need your help, boy."

"It's up to you, Levi, to help us." Dimitrius said. Steve knelt down next to Levi.

"Hey, big fella. Think you can give us a hand...er, a paw? We could really use your expertise." He smiled. Levi snuggled his head under Steve's hand. "It's okay." Steve said soothingly. Jessie's pager went off.

"Excuse me. I'll be back." He said and walked out.

"Come on, Bobby. Let's go back to Sue's room, see if we can find anything." Jack sighed wearily. "Here, Levi." He patted his leg and Levi followed them out. Then Mark's beeper went off too.

"It's Jessie." Mark stated. "I'll go see what he wants." Mark found Jessie in Exam Room #4. "What's up, Jessie?"

"Mark, Steve's gonna want to hear this!" Jessie exclaimed. So Mark fetched Steve, Amanda, Myles, and Dimitrius while Delores and Norman stayed in the lounge watching Tara.

* * *

Bobby and Jack entered Sue's vacant hospital room with Levi at their heels. They'd ordered all hospital staff to leave everything just as it was so they could thoroughly investigate, and Steve had officers on the way to go over it. Bobby and Jack entered underneath the yellow tape across the doorway and searched for anything that might lead them to finding Sue and Lucy. Levi placed his paws up on the bed and was groveling with his nose around the covers. Then he started grunting. "Something of interest in there, mate?" Bobby inquired and carefully started feeling around the blankets when his fingers touched something! "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack turned eagerly.

"Look at this." Bobby held a crinkled piece of paper.

"What is it?"

"Looks like some kind of receipt. For one of the rental studios in this fine city!" Bobby exclaimed.

"Here, let me see." Jack said, taking it. His throat fluttered. This sheet could possibly help them trace the stalker who did this! Though he couldn't wash away the nauseous dread wallowing around in his stomach, the overwhelming fear of what might happen to Sue, and Lucy, he felt a sliver of hope that maybe they'd finally have a concrete clue that would lead them to what they wanted! He placed it in an evidence bag. "Good boy, Levi." Jack smiled widely, giving the dog a well-deserved stroking.

"Good on ya, mate." Bobby added, patting his head. "Nice job, mate." And they left the room.

* * *

"Jason, Tom, what happened to you guys?" Steve and Amanda asked the two young nurses when they entered Exam Room #4. Jason Bongle, a stocky guy with sandy brown hair was sitting in a chair, grimacing and holding an ice pack to the back of his head. And Tom Jayme, the other nurse, slimmer with dark hair, was lying on his back on the examining table, holding a toweled ice pack to his forehead and holding his stomach with the other hand.

"Ugh, what didn't happen?" Jason groaned.

"Jessie found Tom stuffed in his own locker in the locker room and Jason on the floor. They were both knocked out." Mark explained.

"Yeah, someone conked them out pretty good." Jessie remarked.

"Tell me about it!" Jason growled. He didn't feel good.

"You two were knocked out?" Dimitrius asked.

"Look at us!" Jason exclaimed. "I can assure you, we didn't do this to ourselves!"

"Hey, take it easy, Jason." Jessie grinned, patting his friend's shoulder.

"And just who are you?" Jason glared at Myles and D.

"FBI." D showed his badge and so did Myles.

"What the heck?"

"One of the patients in here is FBI." Steve spoke up. "So, what happened?"

"These two guys, never seen them before..." Jason began.

"And they didn't look friendly either." Tom added.

"Just came right in and grabbed me around the throat!" Jason continued. "Then I felt a blow to my head."

"I came in and saw Jason on the ground, then asked who they were. I was gonna try to help Jason when the taller one poked and then whacked me hard in the guts with a broom handle." Tom cringed in pain. "Then the last thing I saw was stars. Next thing I knew, I was in here with Travis shining a homicidal light in my eyes!"

"Excuse me, sirs, but did either of the gentlemen look like these two?" Myles asked, holding up pictures of Lance and White.

"Oh, yeah!" Jason rapidly nodded his head. "That's them!"

"Uh-huh. They're the ones!" Tom exclaimed.

"You sure?" Dimitrius asked.

"You're positive?" Steve added.

"No question." Tom moaned.

"If you badge fancy badge flashers would quit asking stupid questions and pay attention, my headache wouldn't feel all this extra aggravation!" Jason snarled as his head whirled inside. Steve rolled his eyes and Myles winced.

"Sorry, Jason," Mark said calmly, "but it's terribly important. And thank you both, guys. You've been extremely helpful. We won't bother you anymore."

"I'd appreciate that!"

"You gonna be okay, Tom?" Mark asked. Tom stared at him pitifully.

"He'll live." Jessie smiled. "He's gonna have a heck of a sore stomach for a while, he's got an ugly bruise straight across his abdomen, but other than that, they should both recover nicely."

"Good." Mark nodded and shuffled out with Myles, Dimitrius, Amanda, and Steve.

"I'm gonna have that broom checked for prints." Steve huffed.

"Steve, why? We know it was them." Amanda shrugged.

"Maybe they left a transparent residue that we can find under a microscope that'll tell us where they came from." Steve answered. "Besides, they can add an extra charge of assault to their rap sheets." Amanda nodded. Steve's officers appeared right at that moment.

"What have you got, partner?" Cheryl asked.

"A kidnapping, and assault." Steve answered.

"I'll go get the broom." Mark said and walked away.

"He's decided to sweep the floor at a time like this?" Cheryl joked.

"Even if he did, I bet you any kind of money he'd find something very interesting!" Amanda smiled.

"Come on." Steve said. "I'll take you guys to the room." Just as they all headed toward ICU, Jack and Bobby were coming their way with Levi. They both looked excited.

"Well, you two certainly look pleased for somebody who's involved in a kidnapping." Amanda remarked.

"I take it you two found something?" Steve asked hopefully.

"That we did!" Bobby grinned.

"You found an address?" Dimitrius asked.

"Maybe!" Jack answered. "It might not be exactly what we're looking for, but it could be something!" he handed the evidence bag to Steve who raised his eyebrows when he saw the company's logo on it.

"Better show this to Dad." He said.

* * *

 **Okay, so I'm leaving you in the air. You'll have to wait till the chapter after the next one to read the details of what they found and what theories they'll come up with! Unfair, aren't I? Ha, ha. Please feel free to leave reviews. I'd like to hear them.**

 **Oh no! Sue's been kidnapped now! What's gonna happen to her and Lucy? Can they rescue them before time runs out?**


	16. Chapter 16 In the Devil's Hole

**Hope you're enjoying the story. It's still been on my mind, but I haven't worked on it as much the passed weekend. Our sweet dog, Chloe passed away on Friday and we're still very, very sad. But here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Howard Lance was grimacing in pain, clenching his injured shoulder. It hurt unlike anything he'd ever felt. Jeff White however, continued to speed through the city, trying to avoid the cops. A handful did chase them for speeding and reckless driving but White was used to hiding and soon the police lost them. They kept scouring the area though. "Hey, man! I need a doctor!" Lance cried in pain. "I need help!"

"No!" White bellowed back. "We can't do that."

"Listen, man. I need help and I need it now! What good am I to you if...if I can't..." Lance gasped, losing his voice as the drilling fire in his shoulder seared his breath.

"All right, all right." White growled. "I know a place. But I have to put the car out of sight."

"And what if someone finds her in the back, huh? How's that gonna look?" Lance panicked.

"Just shut up and do as I say or you're not getting help at all!" White warned. He parked the car in some trees away from the streetlights, in some nearby woods. Then he dragged his moaning partner three blocks away to a small urgent care facility. They were in a very rural neighborhood, so he wasn't very worried about being spotted. Once Lance had been treated and stitched up, the two thugs headed back to the Hurst. They approached it cautiously, keeping a lookout for cops. They slowly entered, but no guns were pointed at their heads and no loud voices bellowed in their ears demanding them to raise their hands. White rubbed the sweat from his face. He'd so been expecting to be staked out. "So far, so good." He breathed in relief.

"Let's not try something that elaborate next time." Lance moaned. "That was too close for my comfort. If you suggest a wild scheme like that again, you're on your own." White smacked him.

"Makes no difference to me." He huffed. He wouldn't admit it, but his partner was right: their last maneuver _had_ been too close. They reached their dwelling and opened up the back of the Hurst. Sue wasn't on the gurney, she'd been rolled and tossed about from all the speedy curves White had made escaping the police. White rolled his eyes. "Come on. Give me a hand." They dragged Sue out then carried her inside by her arms and legs. She was still unconscious.

* * *

Inside the dark prison, Lucy raised her head when she heard voices, the same sinister voices that she loathed. She could hear their footsteps approaching. She'd heard them several times already in the passed two days, but she suddenly felt a flutter of extreme dread race through her body. She prayed she was wrong, but she was afraid of seeing that door open. She straightened her face into a scowl to stay calm, but it was such a struggle.

The door opened, Lance flicked on the light switch and sure enough...Lucy felt very queasy: they'd done it! They'd really done it. Her worst fear had come to pass, they'd kidnapped Sue! She was unconscious, with a mangled face marring her delicate features, and a white bandage wrapped her around her head. The two thugs roughly dropped her onto the hard floor and Lucy jolted in fear for Sue's injuries and anger at the ruffians for deliberately treating her friend so recklessly. "Oh, Sue!" Lucy cried, then her eyes flashed dangerously. "Let her go, you scum!" She demanded. "Listen, White! Do what you want with me, I don't care! But _LET HER GO!_ I mean it!"

"So now you're putting up a fight, huh?" White smirked. His evil plan was working. He walked right up to Lucy and slapped her hard across the face. She bit her lip hard to keep from crying. "You opened you loud mouth again, sissy." White glared. "Well, maybe this will teach you a lesson." And with that, he stepped back toward Sue and kicked her in the side. Lucy was furious.

" _LEAVE HER ALONE!"_ She hollered with all the hostile strength her lungs could muster. "When I get out of this rat's nest I'll see to it that the FBI makes you sorry you ever saw my face." She snarled. White pffted with his lips.

"You and your friend aren't going anywhere. You'll never get out of this place...alive." He sneered, and punched Sue's already injured face. But she was out like a light and never knew what hit her. Lucy's blood ran cold and her eyes went instantly from fire to ice. Though her feet were tied to the chair, she managed lung forward and at least ram herself into White as she collapsed face down on the floor. White stumbled over Sue, and when he stood back up, he was grinning sickeningly. Lance pulled Lucy back up to an upright position.

"You mess with my friend, and you're gonna wish you'd stuck to armed robbery, you snake." Lucy growled, her usually bright and cheerful face clouded over dangerously in dark revenge. White's eyes narrowed creepily and aimed to slug Sue again. "DON'T!" Lucy hollered at the top of her lungs. "Do what you want with me, but leave Sue alone!" Lucy pleaded. "Go ahead, hit _me!"_ White turned and slapped Lucy again, then he kicked Sue's side again. "STOP IT!" Lucy screamed. Her protests weren't doing any good except making White gloat. Maybe if she shut up he'd leave Sue alone, but on the other hand, this scoundrel beat women whenever he felt like it, so why should he stop now? And there was no way that Lucy was going to sit by idly while her best friend was mauled!

"You want your friend to be alive?" Lance sneered in Lucy's ear, "then shut up and do what the boss tells you. You open your mouth, he'll hit her again. Got it?" And with that, White kicked Sue's shin though Lucy hadn't said a word. Then the two thugs grabbed Sue and took her out of the room, then turned off the light, leaving Lucy alone in the dark.

Lucy was thankful that Sue wasn't conscious, otherwise she would fully feel the effect of the vicious blows White had afflicted her with. But then she wished Sue was awake so she'd know that she wasn't alone. Lucy was so mad, desperate, and terrified. Where were they anyway? She had no clue. She didn't have her phone, she had nothing for her friends to trace. And Lucy just knew that White was going to beat Sue to a pulp out of his already beyond logic frustration, cruel delight, and fight for control. And there was nothing she could do to stop them! "Oh, Jack!" Lucy screeched in anger mingled with fear. "Bobby, Dr. Sloan, where _are_ you guys?! Get us out of here! You've got to get us out!"


	17. Chapter 17 Good News!

Most of the group met together in Amanda's pathology lab. Cheryl and the officers bagged the broom and the receipt that Levi had found. Mark's eyes lit up when he read the logo and address on the receipt. "You onto something, Doc Sloan?" Bobby asked hopefully.

"You say you found this in Sue's hospital room?" Mark asked.

"Right. Levi showed us." Jack added.

"Well, my friends, looks like we might have just caught our biggest break!" Mark announced happily. "I know the guy who owns this car rental studio. He's been a patient of mine for 32 years. This receipt shows that someone rented a Hurst just yesterday. I'll just give him a ring!" And Mark left the room.

"You think this will help us be able to locate them?" Jack asked Steve.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Steve grinned back. For the first time in days, they had a real hope of finding Lucy and Sue.

"Even if we don't have a recipient's address to work with, I bet you any amount of money that Mark can figure it out!" Amanda exclaimed.

"Let's hope so." Dimitrius said.

"Cheryl, can you let me hang onto this until we find out who rented the Hurst?" Steve asked.

"Sure thing." Cheryl nodded. Levi was lonesome for Sue, and Lucy, so he walked over to Amanda and sadly lay his droopy head in her lap.

"Awww." Amanda smiled and stroked him. "It's okay, big fellow. We're doing everything we can. Now you perk those ears up. We'll find them. Come on, smile for me. Come on!" Levi whined and lifted his paw up by his nuzzle. "He is just too darn cute. He's so stinking adorable." Amanda glanced at Jack and Bobby.

"Stinking adorable is an oxymoron." Myles said flatly.

"Well, not something you'll ever have to worry about." Amanda talked back to him.

"Yeah, I don't think you and adorable fit together in the same sentence." Steve grinned at Myles. Jack snorted, Bobby hid his face, but Myles just stared.

"Mmm-hmm. I can see my support staff's bad influence is rubbing off on you, Lt." He mumbled to Steve.

" _Support staff?_ Seriously?" Jessie snickered. Mark returned shortly. "Did you find anything out, Mark?"

"Well, Joe told me to talk to his foreman who should be able to answer our questions. Unfortunately, he already went home for the evening." Mark replied.

"Maybe some friendly neighborhood doctor is overdue on making a house call?" Amanda suggested.

"Just what I was thinking."

"Okay, Dad. I'll take you there." Steve said. "Cheryl, take that broom and let me know if forensics find anything else of interest in the hospital room." His partner nodded. "Jack? Ganz? You two wanna come along with us?"

"Thank you, I really would." Jack said longingly.

"We'll stay put here." Bobby said.

"Let us know if Tara finds anything interesting on the video footage." Dimitrius said.

"Right oh." Bobby said. Mark, Steve, Jack, and Dimitrius started to walk out when Levi let out a pitiful whimper. They turned to look at him. Even though he was an animal, he looked as if he was about to shed tears!

"It's okay, buddy. I'll be back." Jack tried to say reassuringly. Levi cried again. Jessie knelt down to pat him.

"Take it easy, boy." He smiled sympathetically, but the dog continued to moan sadly. He didn't want Jack to leave. Mark stared at Steve with insistent eyes. Steve sighed and nodded.

"Lt. Uh, _Steve?_ You mind if he comes along?" Dimitrius asked. "He won't cause any trouble."

"I don't think he'll be calm if he has to stay here." Jessie added. Steve stared at the poor dog.

"How am I gonna say no to that face?" He chuckled. "Come on, Levi. Let's go." Levi looked up at him and perked his ears.

"Come on, Levi. Let's go." Jack patted his leg. Levi stood up, wagged his tail and trotted to Jack. "We'll be back."

"Why don't we see if Tara's found anything?" Jessie suggested. Amanda agreed, and she, Myles, Jessie, and Bobby returned to the lounge.

"Tara? Anything interesting turn up on those videos?" Bobby asked.

"Not any more than we already know." Tara sighed, shaking her head. "Lance and White entered the hospital, attacked the two nurses in the locker room, disguised themselves in the clothes, wheeled a stretcher toward ICU and snuck down with it to the morgue where Steve caught up with them. Not at any time was the sheet lifted when they were in front of the cameras." Bobby bit his lip.

"Well, I'm sure Mark will come back with good news." Jessie said cheerfully. "His hunches almost never lead to a dead end."

"It better not, Dr. Travis." Myles warned. "This isn't a murder mystery game for amateurs. This is a hostage situation, and every minute we lose could be the end for our two friends." Jessie frowned.

"Give it a rest, Myles." Tara grunted at him. "And may I remind you that if it wasn't for Dr. Sloan, we never would've been able to trace White this far!"

"Tara's right." Amanda said.

"And then what?" Myles snarled. "The great white doctor holds a state-wide press conference?"

"Listen, _you..."_ Amanda glared.

"Hey!" Jessie blurted out but Bobby got in Myles' face.

"Look, you are out of line." Bobby growled. "If you want to leave this current task force, you can walk out of this hospital right now. And I will be happy to pay for the plane ticket!" Everyone stared wide-eyed. Myles huffed heavily.

"We'd better find them...yesterday!" He grunted and walked out into the hall.

"He can't speak about Mark that way," Jessie said quietly. "Mark's the neatest guy I've ever known, and he's seldom wrong. And I can vouch for him that he's _not_ doing this for his own ego!"

"We believe that, Doc... _Jessie."_ Tara said. "And Myles does too, whether it seems like it or not."

"He's taking out his anger on the good doctor who seems to know what we wish we knew in order to solve this case." Bobby added. "But he still shouldn't have said that."

"Ahem." Norman spoke up nervously. "Has Dr. Sloan truly been very helpful to you federal agents in this serial killer case?"

"Indeed he has, mate." Bobby nodded. "He and the lieutenant have helped us beyond anything we hoped for."

"It's true, Mr. Briggs." Tara stated. "We'll be leaving with so much more on this case than when we first came."

"I've always thought of him as completely unorthodox," Norman mumbled. "He's been eccentric, rule-bending, no book-stickler, a bit shifty." Delores rolled her eyes and slapped his arm. "But...he's the best doctor we've ever had." Everyone gazed at Norman with raised eyebrows.

* * *

Mark and Steve led the way stepping up to Ben Hacker's house, the foreman of the rental studio. Jack followed with Dimitrius and Levi. Steve knocked on the front door and it opened. "Ben Hacker?" Steve asked.

"That's right." Mr. Hacker replied, confused.

"Lt. Sloan, homicide." Steve showed his badge.

"Wait. You're Steve Sloan, right?"

"That's right."

"Right! I recognize you. It's been a while. So, what? Am I under suspicion of murder?" Hacker asked with raised eyebrows.

"No, Ben. We just need to talk to you." Mark chuckled. "Ask you a few questions."

"Okay. Come on in." Ben opened the door and let the men inside along with Levi.

"Listen, Hacker. We don't have much time," Steve began. "These two gentlemen here are with the FBI." Jack and Dimitrius showed their badges.

"FBI?" Ben gasped.

"We're working together on the serial murders, the ones with the black roses." Jack said.

"Whoa! Yeah, we've heard about those!" Ben exclaimed. "But I don't see how I can help you."

"Mr. Hacker, you rented out a Hurst from the studio yesterday?" Jack asked.

"Sure did. Don't tell me I got jipped with a credit card scam!"

"The renters paid with a credit card?" Dimitrius inquired.

"Sure did. He said he wanted it for a movie shot he and his company were shooting. He promised to return it tomorrow." Ben explained.

"Tomorrow," Jack held his breath. That could mean only one thing: either Lucy or Sue would most likely be found dead tomorrow!

"Yeah, he said he only needed it for today."

"Mr. Hacker, the guy who wanted the vehicle, was it by any chance this gentleman here?" D asked, showing him White's photo.

"Nope." Ben shook his head.

"How about this guy?" Steve showed him White's disguise photo.

"That's him!"

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Could you get us the serial number on this credit card?" Jack asked.

"Only if you come by the office tomorrow." Ben said.

"We can't wait that long." Dimitrius shook his head.

"Well, then I wish you luck, guys." Ben said, but Steve took him by the arm.

"Ben, the guy you just did business with yesterday is the man behind the black rose killings!" Steve exclaimed. "He used the car for one of his dangerous moves." Ben's eyes nearly popped out.

" _What?!"_ He gaped in astonishment. "You're not serious! Is this a joke?"

"We only wish it was, Ben." Mark said solemnly.

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure." Jack said firmly. "He's abducted two of our friends, who happened to be FBI."

"Both women." Mark said.

"Mr. Hacker, you give us that number tonight, you may have just helped us save their lives and capture this dirt bag." Dimitrius said calmly. "Now if you'd cooperate, we'd deeply appreciate it."

"Of course!" Ben blurted out. "I'll get the office keys and take you there right now! Heck, why didn't you tell me in the first place, Lt. Sloan? Let's go!" Jack's shoulders sagged.

"You all right, Jack?" D and Steve asked.

"I can't believe we're finally getting somewhere." Jack answered, then reached down to pet Levi. "Good work, boy." Mark came over and pat his head too.

"Nice job, Levi." He smiled.

* * *

"Tara, Ben Hacker confirmed to us that it was White in disguise who rented the Hurst." Jack said on his phone when they got back in the car. "He paid with a credit card."

"That can't be, Jack." Tara argued into her mouthpiece, shaking her head.

"What?!"

"That can't be. I've been watching every move White has made with his credit card since we got here and there's nothing in there about a rented Hurst or the company."

"Well, double check it!" Jack ordered.

"I will. Now, he's sure it was White?"

"He identified him head on." Jack groaned.

"Okay."

"Cheryl, anything on that broom yet?" Steve spoke into his own phone.

"Exactly what you'd expect. Jeff White's fingerprints." Cheryl answered.

"Good. Another charge to hound them for. That's my kind of evidence." Steve chuckled. "Forensics turn up anything interesting in that hospital room?"

"Yeah, uh, some red fibers. The lab's analyzing it right now."

"Interesting." Steve nodded. "Ben Hacker confirmed that it was White who rented the Hurst. We're gonna have Agent Williams check up the serial number against his credit card record. Let me know as soon as you have anything on those fibers."

"Will do."

"Oh, and say. Any reports on that Hurst yet?"

"Nope."

"All right, thanks." Steve hung up. "Well, forensics found red fibers in the hospital room. We'll hear as soon as they know more."

"Clothes fibers, maybe?" Dimitrius asked.

"I guess we'll find out." Jack shrugged.

* * *

"Ah, here it is." Ben Hacker said, handing Jack the credit card receipt. Jack pulled out his phone.

"Tara? it's Jack." He said. "Listen, here's the credit card number _00470899023._ Do your magic and let us know what you come up with. Yeah. Thanks."

"Thank you, Ben. You've been a big help." Mark patted him on the shoulder.

"Glad to help!" Ben exclaimed.

Inside the car, Steve's phone rang. "Yeah, Sloan here." He answered.

"Steve?" Cheryl spoke on the other end. "We just received a call from a small urgent care facility about 20 miles out of town. The all-night nurse said that somebody answering Lance's description came in about an hour ago with a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. They treated it, he paid and left. Oh, and he had a friend helping him who sounds very much like our Mr. Jeff White!"

"We're on it!" Steve announced. They reached the urgent care facility and the staff confirmed the thugs' identities. Steve called Cheryl to get forensics out there to examine the whole premises and surrounding area. Then Jack's phone rang.

"Hello? It's me." Jack answered.

"Jack, wait 'til you hear this!" Tara said excitedly.

"Wait, let me put it on speaker." Jack said and pressed the button.

"Turns out Tara was right." Bobby spoke. "The credit card wasn't White's."

"That figures." Steve mumbled.

"Not so fast, Steve. You don't wanna miss this!" Amanda joined in.

"Turns out that White used his partner's credit card to pay for the rented studio car so we couldn't track him." Tara smiled.

"You mean it was Lance's?!" Jack's eyes lit up.

"Uh-huh." Tara replied happily.

" _And..._ we have an address!" Jessie announced.

"Oh, thank God!" Jack and Mark declared together.

* * *

 **They're finally getting somewhere!**


	18. Chapter 18 Profitable Dead End

Bobby and Myles immediately left the hospital to meet Mark, Steve, Jack, and Dimitrius at the police station. They set up a response team with a search and arrest warrant for Howard Lance, which was immediately cleared for them to use. Tara communicated with them from her seat in the doctor's lounge, currently being used as a command center. She'd found Howard Lance's address on her computer and was watching it with a radar.

"Tara, how are we looking?" Bobby asked when they arrived at the said house, getting ready to go in.

"So far, so good." Tara responded. "All the lights in the house are off. SOG says Lance hasn't arrived or left his home from the time we called and they arrived."

"All right." Steve said into his mic. "On my count, one...two...THREE!" He, Cheryl, Corporal Jeffers, four other officers, Jack, Bobby, Dimitrius, and Myles all dashed straight to the small home structure. Mark stayed behind in Steve's car with Levi. Jack and Steve each stood at the front door posts. Jeffers led the police around the back and Dimitrius covered the side. "Lance?!" Steve bellowed. "Police! Open up! We have a warrant for your arrest!" No answer, not lights turned on, and no one came to answer the door.

" _Okay,"_ Jack whispered, holding up his fingers. _Three...two...one!"_ Steve nodded, backed up, and kicked the door open then barged in, aiming his gun with Jack, Bobby, and Myles in tow. "FBI! WARRANT!" Jack yelled as they searched the house with the flashlights on their helmets.

"POLICE! WARRANT!" Steve hollered.

"Side door clear!" Dimitrius reported.

"Kitchen clear!" Jeffers called out.

"Living room clear!" Steve answered back.

"Sam33, bedroom clear!" Myles shouted.

"This is Sam36!" Jack spoke up. "Sam31 (Bobby), Lt. Sloan, come to the basement!" Steve and Bobby clambered down the stairs into the basement.

"Dr. Sloan responding to Sam36." Mark said into his earpiece while he sat in the car with Levi. "Jack, are you all right?"

"Sam36, clear." Jack answered.

Mark sighed in relief. "It's okay, Levi." He said reassuringly, patting the dog on the head. "They're all right."

* * *

"Jack?" Steve inquired as he stepped into the room Jack was standing in.

"What have you got, mate?" Bobby asked as he came in beside Steve.

"Take a look." Jack said. Bobby flipped on the light switch. The room was full of boxes. They were addressed from a pharmaceutical company in Milwaukee. Steve approached one and pulled out his pocket knife, slitting it through the top flap. Inside were slot cubicles and lots of bubble wrap, which Steve removed. Reaching into his pocket and putting on a pair of white surgical gloves, reached inside the box and slowly pulled out a small bottle. He held it up to the light.

"Steve?" Mark asked, worried. "What's going on? Is everything okay? Did you find Lance? Steve?"

"Looks like we just found our serial killer's murder weapon." Jack said softly.

"Bly me." Bobby stated. The bottle Steve was holding was chloroform!

* * *

"Whew." Bobby whistled as they searched the house for further evidence. "Apparently, our Mr. Lance either thinks of his credit card as a license to nonobligatory free spending, or..."

"Or, he has someone much bigger and smarter to pay his bills for him." Myles finished for him. "Looks like Lance is making the IRS's top black list of the month: five maxed out credit cards, the current one being his sixth, which is very rapidly running out of gas."

"Steve?" Cheryl showed him a stack of papers. "Take a look." Jack, Myles, and Bobby looked over his shoulder to read what they said.

"Order receipts from the _Wellington Pharmaceutical Co._ in Milwaukee. My guess is that's where he's been gathering the poison to supply for White." Steve said.

"Tara? See what you can find on the _Wellington Pharmaceutical Co._ in Milwaukee." Dimitrius said. "Find out if their business is legit, and also if they've ever done business with Lance, or White's alias Ronny Nelson."

"On it." Tara replied.

* * *

"We went over everything in Lance's house." Steve told Mark, Captain Newman, and Chief Masters as he was debriefed. "We found order receipts from the company he was getting the poison from."

"As far as Tara could find out, their company's legit." Dimitrius added. "And they do remember Howard Lance. He's consistently ordered two cases of chloroform every month for the passed two years."

"And every four orders were sent to a different location each time." Jack said. "Tara did some backtracking into the murder case files."

"And it turns out that each new location that Lance ordered from, was close to the vicinity where more of White's murder victims were found." Mark explained.

"So, there is no doubt that Howard Lance was the one supplying the chloroform to White?" Chief Masters asked.

"No doubt." Steve answered.

"Lt.? Did you people find any possible way to track down White or Lance to where they may be holding Agent Thomas and Miss Dotson?" Captain Newman asked.

"No, sir." Steve shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

"And nothing to indicate that Lance has a cell phone either." Myles said glumly. Captain Newman sagged back in his desk chair and pursed his lips.

"All the evidence you found and still no way to find these women?" He groaned.

"It sure looks that way." Mark sighed.

"We'll find them!" Jack exclaimed. He would not give up. There was no way he was going to quit on Sue, or Lucy.

"Agent Hudson? How often do those killings occur after the victim's been abducted?" Chief Masters asked with arms crossed. Jack sighed heavily. That was the one issue he'd been trying to put out of his mind but had been nagging him all night.

"The victims are usually missing for three to five days, then turn up dead." He said dismally. "Which means that...that..."

"Which means that Lucy may be found as a corpse tomorrow!" Steve finished angrily.

"That's _not_ gonna happen!" D spoke up.

"Captain, have your officers beef up those APB's. So, the Hurst is expected to be returned tomorrow?" Masters continued.

"That's what the manager said," Mark said doubtfully.

"But I wouldn't hold my breath, considering how much we shot it up." Steve muttered.

"Setup a stakeout to pick up Lance and or White at the studio tomorrow should they prove us wrong." Newman said.

"Already being processed, sir." Steve said.

"You see them, you take them both down!" Chief Masters said firmly. "Those naves have caused enough damage already, and it's out job to put a stop to it!"

"My thoughts exactly." Myles agreed.

"We're with you all the way, sir." Jack said.

"And I'm sure our supervisor will say the exact same thing once we tell him." Bobby said.

"Any reports on those red fibers yet?" Steve asked.

"No." Masters shook his head. "You all go now. But keep us informed."

"We will, thank you." Mark said as they all exited out.

* * *

"So, now what?" Myles asked dryly. "The captain's right: all this evidence and still no way to trace them!"

"We should probably look back into White's profile again." Mark suggested. "After all, this is _his_ game. And his change in method pattern could be that he's planning something big soon."

"The 28th _is_ the day after tomorrow." Dimitrius pointed out.

"Which means we have to find Sue and Lucy _before_ then!" Bobby growled.

"Well, it's been a long night." Mark said. "Why don't we all retreat back to my place? Maybe we'll all be able to think clearer in a less formal environment."

"Doesn't right now like such a bad idea." Bobby said. "Hey, thanks, doc." Mark just smiled.

"I'll go pick up Tara from the hospital." Steve said.

"That's fine." Dimitrius said.

* * *

Jack was very quiet as they all walked outside the station. He was deeply troubled. Sue and Lucy's time was running out...fast! And they still didn't know where to find them! He prayed every minute that they'd be found alive. "We're gonna find them, and we're gonna find them alive!" He told Levi in the car. "I promise!"


	19. Chapter 19 All Hope Gone

Everyone was at the Sloan's beach house. They'd been there all night, going over and rechecking everything they could think of. Levi had slipped outside through the French patio doors and was lying on the patio. Steve nearly tripped over him in the dim dawn morning light. "Whoops. Sorry, fellow." He apologized. Levi just glanced up at the tall detective out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't move. Steve frowned in sympathy and walked inside. "That poor dog eaten anything?" He asked curiously. "He's laying around out there like a wilting rose. This whole thing must be eating him up pretty bad."

"No, he hasn't eaten a thing." Mark shook his head sympathetically.

"He wouldn't even touch any of the Krispy Kreme you brought in!" Jessie added. Steve sighed and shook his head.

"I've never seen a sadder looking animal." He remarked.

"You know? Dogs are extremely devoted, a lot of times more than half the humans on the planet." Amanda stated.

"That's right." Bobby added. "If the little mate turns down a doughnut, you know he's really low."

"Just like the Think Tank case." Tara said, hanging her head.

"Think Tank case?" Amanda inquired.

"Seven economists were murdered, and in the middle of the investigation Sue was accidentally abducted by our prime suspect, Dan Malone." Jack explained.

"What do you mean by accidental abduction?" Steve asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Malone was heading for cover," Bobby continued, "because the killer was shooting at him and us, only at the time we didn't know. Malone didn't even know Sue was in his car when he took off. He actually thought the _FBI_ had killed his coworkers!"

"You're not serious." Mark said.

"Levi was miserable." Tara shook her head. "I'd never seen him so down in the mouth before."

Jack was pretty quiet. He remembered that time so well and could completely sympathize with his four-legged buddy. Granted, Malone didn't hurt Sue, but the worry and anxiety Jack had felt not knowing where she was, if she was hurt or even alive, and not knowing how to find her had been torture. And now, he was having to go through it all over again, except this time it was totally worse! Sue _was_ hurt, and frighteningly vulnerable at the hands of this ruthless killer they were after. And Lucy, Sue's best friend in the world, had to be at his mercy too, and Jack was also worried about her.

Steve reached into the doughnut box for a cream-filled round when he stared at it in confusion and aggravation. He picked up a half-circle cake donut. " _Jessie,"_ Steve rolled his eyes. "Would you mind not leaving half-eaten donuts in the box?"

Jessie gaped at him. "I'm not!" He protested. "And personally, I don't approve of negligent hygiene like that. Spreads germs, you know."

Steve squinted skeptically at his friend. "All right," he announced, "who keeps leaving half eaten donuts back in the box?!" His eyes fell right on Mark who glanced at him innocently.

"That isn't half eaten." Bobby casually spoke up. "I ate the other half which makes that half completely eaten. Your half isn't eaten at all, making it wholly uneaten." Steve just stared blankly in utter confusion at the Aussie. "It's not a trick problem, mate. You do the math." Then he went back to his paperwork. Steve shook his head and walked into the kitchen for more coffee.

"You know, leaving partially eaten food around like that can become hazardous to public health." Mark glanced at Bobby.

"Seems someone tried to tell him that before." Tara said.

"Oh, if you think that's anything, you should see his desk back at the bureau." Myles teased.

"Steve, any word yet on those red fibers?" Jack asked with a sigh.

"Nope." Steve shook his head as he sipped his coffee. "But they should be calling any minute."

Tara stared intently at her computer...and in that one moment, her eyes widened and she gasped. She just froze, her face full of horror. Everyone stared in alarm at her. "Hey," Steve placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Tara, are you all right?" Mark asked, touching her shoulder. She just stared in shock.

"Tara, what's wrong?" Bobby asked, coming to her side, Amanda behind him. Tara quickly shook her head. A gasp escaped from her voice and she bit her lip.

"What's the matter?!" Myles asked.

"Tara?" Dimitrius added.

"What is it?" Jack asked quietly but adamantly.

"Look," Tara squeaked, pointing a shaky finger at her screen. Everyone's eyes fell on it. They all gasped in horror. It was a photo of a young, battered woman laying sprawled out on the floor of a dwelling. She was absolutely dead to the world. Her face was marred terribly. Lying next to her was a fake black rose and a little note. It was Sue! The heading read in big bold letters:

" **Are you sorry yet?"**

" _NNOOOO!"_ Bobby bellowed in rage, quickly rising to his feet.

"Oh my..." Jessie gulped.

"They didn't!" Steve growled.

"Ooohh," Amanda raised her hand to her mouth.

"I _don't_ believe this!" Myles shook his head in utter disbelief.

"It _can't_ be!" D clenched his teeth. Steve turned around and lividly pounded his fists on the desk. Tara was grabbing her face as tears poured out. Mark stared endlessly in shock at the picture, then his eyes fell on Jack.

Jack was...was frozen in time. He just stood there, motionless and heartbreak etched in every inch of his face. The weight of the world was pressing heavily on his whole body right now. He couldn't move. His worst nightmare had come to pass! He didn't even notice the other people around him! Their voices sounded far away. All he saw was Sue's face, but not as he had seen it every day. She was lying on a hospital bed, hooked with an IV and to a heart monitor. She was unconscious, her head wrapped with a bandage, her face marred. She didn't even know that Jack was standing at her side, warmly and tenderly gripping her delicate hand. _I never, ever told her..._ Jack's own voice pounded inside his head. And now he'd never get to!

Bobby also gazed at his best friend, and though he was filled with unbelievable rage, his face slightly softened at the sight of how broken Jack looked. It actually shook Bobby down to his bones. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen in Jack. Sure, he'd seen fear, anger, worry, and defeat on Jack's face before, but this...this was different and Bobby couldn't find the right term to describe what he saw just now. Though he was standing on his own two feet, Jack was absolutely...shattered. Bobby really wished that his friend would voice out his hate about the fiend who had committed this atrocious crime, but he didn't. Jack just stood there, staring blankly down at the floor with a sad look on his face. Bobby narrowly set his jaw and came beside his friend. He touched his shoulder. "Jack?" He prodded. Jack didn't respond. "Jack?" This time, Jack raised his head and gazed straight ahead. He was in a daze and staring at the wall, but he seemed to be looking past it to a faraway place.

Mark stared at him, feeling horrible for the grieving young man. He glanced slowly at Tara who was sitting beside him on the couch, her face buried in her palm and weeping softly. Amanda was leaning down close from the sofa arm next to her, and had wrapped her arm around the heartbroken FBI agent. Mark stood up and walked over to Jack, and cautiously touched his arm.

"We're gonna find the maggot that did this, Jack!" Bobby snarled. "That's a promise!"

"We'll make sure he gets exactly what's coming to him." Myles huffed.

"We'll find him." Dimitrius added angrily with determination. Jack was numb, and didn't respond to any of it, except one thing. A low whimper was heard at the patio doors, and the whole group all followed its source, including Jack. Levi was standing there with his head low and eyes that signified his heartache. His tail almost reached the floor. He looked so indescribably wretched. Levi whined. He could tell by the vehement voices that his friends were incredibly unhappy.

"Aaaww, Levi," Jessie sighed empathetically. The broken Golden trudged ever so slowly over to Jack and lay down with his head on Jack's boot.

At _this_ point, Jack finally showed some emotion, much to everyone's relief. His face grimaced, and he knelt down to take Levi's head in his hands. He rubbed the canine's noggin, then stood back up. "I'm going outside." He whispered and walked out the patio doors. Levi was at his heels. Steve's eyes followed him closely.

* * *

The whole beach house was eerily silent. It was as if a heavy, dark cloud had not only settled over it, but also slinked its way inside. Tara was sitting doubled over on the sitting room sofa, with her head in her hands while Amanda sat next to her. Nobody knew at all what to say or do, until Mark told Steve to call the station and inform them on what had happened. Jessie endlessly, quietly paced around; Myles leaned against the brick fireplace with his arms crossed, his anger and sadness wretchedly evident; Dimitrius was in the kitchen, leaning forward with his palms on the counter; Mark and Steve both stood in their foyer, not sure what to say or do. Ordinarily, Steve would take charge and be calling everyone to action, but...but somehow this time he didn't have the heart or willpower to do so. These FBI agents, the best he'd ever known and worked with, whom he'd come to feel as true friends, were more than just very effected by this tragedy, they were truly heartbroken! They were more than just good buddies and partners, they were like one unique family, all tied together through decency and true respect for one another. Steve and Mark both felt deep admiration for them, and wished they could do something to comfort their new friends. Sue had been more than just killed in the line of duty, she'd been brutally murdered, and the two Sloan men wouldn't rest until they helped these guys find and take down that filthy scum White and see that he paid for what he did, and rescue Lucy!

Bobby's eyes never left Jack out the window, closely watching his best friend in deep hurt. Bobby loved Sue like a sister, as he did Lucy, and...and Tara-though she was more to him than like a sister-, and Jack was his bosom pal, whom he'd do anything for. He'd watched Jack fall for Sue at first sight; Bobby had personally been intrigued by Sue's warm and funny personality, not to mention her lovable chum, Levi; Jack had been Bobby's good friend ever since they'd joined the FBI together; Jack had seen him through thick and thin, and had even risked his own neck and a few times his _job to_ keep Bobby out of trouble! He'd enjoyed watching Sue and Jack interact with one another, pretending it was casual partnership when everyone saw that it was mutual romantic interest. Bobby had teased them over it, as had everyone else; he'd pushed them into it at times; he'd seen the frantic worry and concern Jack wore every time Sue had been in danger on the job; he'd been on the receiving end of Sue's sadness and or ticked off determination when Jack had gotten in trouble, or was making a very risky decision; Bobby loved Jack and Sue as his best friends, and how many times he'd wished they'd confess their love to each other!

* * *

Jack was standing against the deck railing, his arms crossed over his chest. He gazed endlessly at the ocean, letting the breeze blow through his hair. Levi was laying again on his feet. Mark came out and rubbed Jack's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, son." He said softly. "Truly sorry." Jack opened his mouth and just sighed, then gave the good doctor the subtlest of nods.

Steve was standing in the doorway, watching the whole thing. He'd been disappointed when he'd found out that Jack had his eyes on Sue, but after seeing the verbal language between them, there was no doubt in Steve's mind that Jack and Sue truly loved each other. His heart ached for the guy standing on his patio, this tragedy eating away at his insides. Jack dejectedly walked down the patio steps down on the sand and slowly made his way to the water. Levi sadly followed.

Steve couldn't just stand by and watch Jack waste away when he had an urgent job to accomplish, and Lucy still needed to be rescued! As Mark brushed by him, Steve sighed then slowly approached the FBI agent. He stood beside him on the beach and also gazed out at the sea. "How long did you work with her?" Steve asked slowly. He wasn't sure if this was the right time or even his place to try to get Jack to talk, but it was all he could think of.

"Almost 4 years." Jack answered quietly. Steve faced him.

"How did you two meet?"

Jack gulped and bit his lip."She...she just out of the blue, walked into my office one day by accident." He said sadly. "She was...looking for personnel and hadn't realized that she'd stumbled into the agent's bullpen. She was upset about being treated as second rate and was demanding a change in jobs. When she realized her mistake, she was very embarrassed and left." At this point, Jack gulped hard, his face full of distress and pain. He'd remember those moments forever, and now he felt a heavy, sharp pain in his heart. It was acute and hurt like fire and he had to grunt to keep from breaking down completely. As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep back the tears that streamed down his handsome face. He rubbed his temples with his fingers. Steve had been closely watching him and came nearer.

"Let's sit down." He said, and gently pulled Jack with him. "Come on." The two men both sat down unhappily on a patch of grass near the house, elbows on knees. Steve fiddled around with his fingers while Jack clenched his fists together on his knees and with his chin resting on his hands. Levi sadly stuck his head between the two of them, and rested it on Jack's calf. Steve sighed and reached out his hand to stroke the poor beast. The three of them sat in silence without bothering to check the time.

"Almost two years ago, I almost lost my dad." Steve finally spoke up. "It was the worst experience I'd ever had!" He wailed, staring in defeat off into the distance.

"Was...was it a heart attack?" Jack probed, glancing at him.

"I wish it had been, then I would've known what to do!" Steve growled with resentment.

"Sorry...I'm not following." Jack said. Steve's face first turned into a scowl, then it melted into pain. He bit his lip.

"I went down in an unexpected shootout." He explained. "I was trying to free a woman from a nut in a ski mask. My dad was broken up about it and confronted the guy who'd gunned me down when he found out who it was, then the guy was murdered. And my dad was blamed for it!" Jack could almost taste the venom in Steve's voice through his teeth. "I had no blasted clue about anything! I couldn't even help him! And he needed me."

"I'm sure he knew that you would've helped him if you could." Jack remarked.

"It _wouldn't_ have happened if I hadn't been in the hospital!" Steve fumed, remembering all too well that horrible experience. "By the time I came back from the dead, they'd sentenced him to Death Row! It took us four months to figure out who really did it and why, and all that time my dad was going through a personal Holocaust that he never should've been bombarded with!" Steve sighed heavily and Levi placed his head in the detective's lap, with his paw. Steve stared at him and rubbed him between the ears. Jack cringed and closed his eyes.

"Considering how different your jobs are," Jack tried to speak, "you two seem to work great together. And...you have a great relationship."

"Thanks." Steve said in a softer tone. "I think that's more to Dad's credit than mine. He's always been my best friend. I...I don't know what I'd do without him." He felt an all too familiar twinge of regret and pain inside when he thought of how close he'd come to knowing the reality of that statement.

Jack became rigid again. What Steve had just said about his dad Jack had felt himself about someone: ever since…ever since...that day...that day that Sue had been transferred from fingerprinting to his task force, and in her excitement she'd unexpectedly jumped on him and gave him a happy hug. From that moment, his life was never the same and he knew he'd never find another girl like her! And now? Now, he'd...he'd have to live without her! At that thought, Jack winced and buried his hands in his hands. Levi stuck his head under his arms and moaned with him. Steve was so unsure of what to do. He felt sick inside at his new friend's deep pain, and wished there was something he could do to stop it.

Steve gulped and rose to his feet, hesitantly rubbed Jack's shoulder, then trudged up the path to the house, leaving the broken man alone to grieve freely. As Steve reached the deck, mark was there waiting for him. Mark stared at him dismally and Steve shook his head, signifying that Jack wasn't doing well. Mark nodded and patted his son's back as the detective walked back inside. Jessie slowly approached him as he shut the door.

"Look, uh, Steve..." Jessie whispered. "I know everyone feels bad, but…we still need to find her. And Lucy."

"I know, Jess." Steve nodded. "But I don't want to push them just yet."

"He's right." Myles mumbled. "We need to find Lucy too, before..." he hung his head. "Before it's too late."

"When we catch up to this piranha I'll wring his neck!" Bobby spouted vehemently. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"Leave some for me, okay?" Steve looked at him, half-jokingly, but he truly meant it. He was furious too and couldn't wait to take a piece out of the weasel who'd done this heinous crime.

"He ought to be flogged." Myles snarled in disgust. Dimitrius and Jessie silently simmered their complete agreement.

* * *

"We almost lost her last year." Tara explained unhappily, a little later when she'd slightly calmed herself.

"You did?" Amanda asked.

"How?" Jessie added.

"A serial killer." Bobby answered dryly, his face a mixture of sadness and bitterness. "The press was harassing one of the victims' fathers, and Sue stepped in to defend the poor bloke. The loud-mouthed yobbo broadcasted that Sue personally said she'd capture the killer. So, our Simon Says friend accepted the challenge."

"We thought we had him." Dimitrius explained. "Sue and Lucy were having trouble with their plumbing, and the real Simon disguised himself for the occasion, and he almost strangled Sue to death after everyone left." Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jessie all gaped.

"How did..." Mark asked.

"Miraculously, Jack left his phone at their apartment, and he came in just as she was being attacked." Tara said as small tears welled in her eyes.

 _I was wondering how a sheltered girl like her knew so much about serial killers,_ Steve thought glumly. "I'll, uh...I'm gonna call the station again to see if they have any new developments."

* * *

"Uh, Doc? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Bobby asked quietly.

"Sure." Mark agreed. They both walked out into the foyer.

"Doc Sloan?" Bobby mumbled.

"Yes, Bobby?" Mark asked solemnly.

"I..." Bobby hung his head. "I'm afraid I owe you an apology."

"What?" Mark sputtered. "Whatever for? I don't understand."

"Look, you've all been so helpful to us, and..." Bobby it his lip. "And speaking for myself, I'm sorry to confess that I was beginning to trust in your knowledge alone, instead of trusting God to guide us. Hey, you're brilliant, Doctor Sloan! Don't get me wrong about that. But, you're as much a human being as I am, and...well, it's because you're so brilliant that I started relying on you to have all the answers, after all the good, accurate ones you _did_ come up with."

Mark gazed thoughtfully at him. "We all have a tendency to do that sometimes if we're not careful." He sighed. "I'm sorry to say that I've done it more times than I'd like to count. The Lord is always faithful to humble me, but often I've had to learn it in a way I'd prefer not to." Bobby grinned sadly.

"I was holding you up on a pedestal that no living person could measure up to. I'm sorry." Bobby said.

"It's all right, Bobby." Mark smiled and touched his shoulder. "It's okay, son."

"Thanks. I think I'd better go check on Jack." Bobby stated.

"Okay."

Bobby walked outside and found Jack standing close to the water again. He glanced at Bobby as he approached. Bobby put his arm around his friend's shoulder and they both stood there together with Levi at their heels. Neither of them said anything.

* * *

 **Please, don't quit reading! You've got to find out what happens. You'll miss on it if you don't finish reading the story!**


	20. Chapter 20 ANSWERS!

**I know the previous chapter was devastating, and I'm sorry about that, but you must keep reading! I just couldn't wait any longer to post this chapter after the last one I left you with! Thank you to those who have followed and been reading this story. It blesses me, and I'm glad you've enjoyed it. I hope this chapter cheers you up!**

* * *

"Look, man. I've got to get back now." Howard Lance told Jeffrey White.

"We're not going anywhere. We can't." White objected.

"Look, I've been chased, shot at," Lance argued. "How do we know they haven't found our prints by now and ransacked my house?"

"We don't." White answered. "And we're not going to. We've got to stay here. We might've been okay, if that cop hadn't shot up the car! Now they'll be looking for it and we aren't returning it 'cause how am I gonna explain the broken glass and the bullet holes?"

"But what about..."

"Our two felines?" White rolled his eyes, but his countenance was dark with hate. "Tomorrow is the 28th. By then, they'll _both_ have arrived at the pearly gates together."

"You sure this is worth it?" Lance asked cautiously. White gave him a death glare.

"You want your money, don't you?" He snarled. "What? My career too dirty for ya? You wanna leave, fine. Go ahead." White sneered, pulling his handgun out of his jacket.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, take it easy." Lance protested. "I just asked a question. I'm not going anywhere, trust me. I just hope you know what you're doing." White growled and shoved Lance against the wall, sticking the muzzle of his gun into Lance's throat.

"I _do_ know!" White seethed. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. You want out? Tell me. I'll kill you right now, and free you from all this stressful pressure! So what's it gonna be, huh? Don't make any difference to me. You're disposable." Lance gulped hard with fright at the sudden extremity of White's temper. This was the worst he'd ever seen! He bit his lip and didn't say anything. White could see that he was too shook up to run away, so he sneered and took the gun away. "I thought so." He chuckled evilly. "And don't try anything stupid. Next time, I won't be Mr. Nice Guy. Get me?" Lance nodded.

* * *

Lucy's body was worn out, but her mind refused to let her go unconscious. She needed food, something to drink, she needed a jacket, but most of all, she needed out of here and needed to know where Sue was. She hadn't seen her since they'd taken her out of the room. Lucy constantly worried about her and constantly prayed for help to come...soon! Suddenly, Lance and White burst into the room that had been her prison cell the passed few days. They both approached her and she did not like the look in their eyes. "W-what do you guys want?" She asked frightfully. "Where's Sue?! What have you done to her?!" Neither man answered, but Lance quickly untied her legs then jerked her to her feet. "What are you doing?" She demanded. White just smirked and held a dark cloth up to her face, and instantly everything went black.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Sloans' beach house, Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jesse along with the team, were scrambling around the files they had on White and Lance, desperately trying to find _something, somewhere_ on where to find their two victims. "Was Tara able to trace who sent that email?" Steve asked hopefully as he stood in the kitchen.

"The ID was blocked, so no way to trace it." Dimitrius shook his head glumly.

"Blast." Steve growled.

"So our luck just keeps running out." Jesse muttered. "There's gotta be something in these documents that we've overlooked!"

"No one or nothing you can think of at all?" Amanda asked anxiously. "No favorite childhood spot, no first vacation resort, maybe an old friend?"

"There's just not enough in here to go on." Myles huffed. "And no time to go through it."

"Sometimes I really wish that slime ball would decide to sample a test of his own medicine!" Myles fumed.

"Amen to that!" Steve agreed wholeheartedly.

Tara and Mark were sitting together on the couch, gazing intently at her laptop on the coffee table. Mark had his glasses on so he could see more clearly. Tara panted with building anticipation as Mark gave her directions with his finger. "We've got it!" Mark smiled widely.

"YES!" Tara shouted, and they gave each other a painful high-five.

"Good work, Tara!" Mark praised. She pointed at him with her index finger. "Steve?!"

"Yeah, Dad?!" Steve called back.

"Get the movie projector!"

"I, igh...dad, I'm getting a phone call. It's Cheryl." Steve grunted. "Jess, do you mind?"

"Bobby? You'd better get Jack! Quickly!" Tara ordered. "I don't think he'll wanna miss this!"Bobby nodded and burst out the French patio doors, rushed down the stairs, and ran to his good friend.

"Jack!" He panted. Jack straightened up when he heard the urgency in the Aussie's voice.

"Yeah?" Jack asked, standing up.

"Come on. I think Tara's found something. She said you need to see it. Come on!" Bobby beckoned and Jack scurried back to the house with him, Levi cantering along.

* * *

"All right, what's going on?" Jack asked breathlessly, anxious for any possible clue.

"We'll find out, _as soon as Steve gets off the phone!"_ Myles announced.

"Yeah, thanks." Steve hung up and joined everyone in the sitting room. "What's up, guys?"

"Jack? Everyone?" Mark smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "We may have just found our most solid clue yet!"

"What are you talking about?" Steve grunted. Jesse turned on the projector which displayed against the wall the awful picture of Sue lying dead on the floor. Everyone grimaced at the sight, but Mark and Tara persisted.

"Tara and I have been going over this snapshot from top to bottom, and you'll never guess what we found!" Mark exclaimed.

"As you can see," Tara explained, "the floor is obviously red carpet. But not just any red carpet. Mark told me that the only companies who decorate their floors with it, are the fancy hotels and funeral homes."

"Great, that narrows it down to about what? _Seventy_ funeral homes and _sixty_ hotels?" Myles huffed with his arms crossed.

" _Fifty_ funeral homes and _two hundred_ hotels." Amanda corrected him.

"But I think we'll only have to look for one." Tara smiled.

"That coincides with what Cheryl just told me." Steve spoke up. "Forensics finally got back on those red fibers. And they said that they were from red carpet, produced for hotels and funeral homes!"

"The Hurst!" Bobby exclaimed. "They were using a rented Hurst..."

"Because they've been hiding out at a funeral home!" Jack and Amanda declared together.

"But, how are we gonna find it?" Myles asked.

"Tara worked her magic and was able to scan the photo thoroughly for every correct amount of depth." Mark said.

"In case you can't tell, the carpet is worn and a bit faded. And, if we zoom in on the farthest wall," Tara said, "you'll find a very aged flower vase. But let's go in even closer." The screen became enormous as Tara was able to point their attention to a reflection on the vase. As the picture sharpened, everyone could make out a small sentence of some sort spelled backwards.

"Can anyone read that?" Jesse asked doubtfully.

"Not quite yet." Tara sighed. "But let's take a look at what's outside the window!" The white window glare in the photo faded into a large restaurant logo sign!

" _Figeuro's."_ Bobby and Steve read out loud. "What is that?" Bobby asked.

" _Figeuro's,_ an Italian restaurant way out on the east side of LA." Steve answered quickly. "How did you do that?" He asked his favorite FBI agent, once again blown away and impressed by her ingenuity, which to him, matched his father's.

"Through a digital enhancement, algorithm filter." Tara answered with a grin.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Jesse grinned widely.

"Nope." Tara cocked her head. "Oh, but there are some things I won't do."

Jack gazed blankly at the wall, his eyes popping out. It was like a blinding light had flashed on through his mind. _"Stupid, stupid,"_ he whispered.

"Jack, what's going on, mate?" Bobby asked, eying his friend cautiously. Jack stepped forward and smacked his head forehead hard.

"You are so stupid. Hudson, you are so STUPID!" He vented, much to his friends' confusion and concern. "I can't believe I didn't put it together before!"

"Jack, everything okay?" Mark asked.

"Amanda, hand me that file right there!" Jack urged and she obeyed. He rapidly skimmed through the papers, then closed the file with satisfaction. "Guys, I _KNOW_ where they are!" Jack said excitedly. Everyone gaped at him with their jaws dropped.

"You do?!" Jesse and Amanda asked together.

"You sure, Jack?" Steve asked cautiously.

"Positive!" Jack answered, wide-eyed. "You were right, Mark. The answer was right in front of us the whole time, _in the profile_ documents!"

"White's background?" Bobby furrowed his brows.

"No. His old flame." Jack corrected him.

"According to the records, her grandfather used to live in LA." Amanda said with her arms crossed.

Jesse snapped his finger. "And, he owned three funeral homes in LA!"

"Yeah, but which one ran out of business fifteen years ago and had to be shut down?" Dimitrius quizzed them.

" _Charlotte Wilby."_ Mark declared confidently. "And it's on the far east side of LA."

"Exactly!" Jack smiled.

"Didn't it also say that Jeffrey White's old flame, _Charlotte,_ was named after her grandmother?" Amanda asked.

"Yes." Myles replied. "Her grandfather's wife died from cancer, and when he opened his next funeral home, it was dedicated in her name."

"Tomorrow's the 28th." Jack reminded them.

"When White said that _she_ would be sorry for everything she put him through. What he called the day of reckoning." Dimitrius added.

"When Charlotte was six, her family moved to Detroit where they met Jeff White and his family." Myles explained. "As said, they were childhood sweethearts, and according to her living relatives, she and Jeff took several vacation trips back to her hometown. So, becoming part of the family-or so he thought-, he would've known all about her grandfather's business and she would've shown it to him."

"The _Charlotte Wilby_ funeral home has been vacant for fifteen years." Jesse remarked. "So no one would suspect it if White chose to hide out there, and especially if he disguised himself!"

"What better way to fulfill his deadly mission than to destroy his final victims, his moment of triumph, at the building with his old lover's name strewn across it?" Mark suggested. Just then, Steve's cell phone rang and he answered it.

"Sloan here." He spoke. "What's up, Ben? Yeah? Really? You don't say! Thank you, Ben! Thank you very much! We owe you one." Then he hung up. "Guess what? Ben Hacker said that the renter of the Hurst promised to return it at ten this morning. It's now what? Five to eleven? Somehow I don't think the customer's gonna show up."

"Tara, can you back that up?" Mark asked, pointing to the photo. "That's good. Stop. Okay, now go back to the reflection in the vase. Uh-huh. All right, now rotate the photo 'til I say stop." Everyone listened but dared not question Mark as to what he was doing. He must be onto something good, and he'd tell them as soon as he saw it. "Stop!" Mark ordered and Tara froze the picture. Mark stood up and walked to the photo reflection on the wall. He pointed at the text smiling. "Ladies and gentlemen, now that this picture has been rotated upside down, we can now read the text which has been changed to right side up. Anyone care to tell me what this says?"

" _Lotte Wilby..."_ The whole gang said together.

"We've got it!" Mark cheered.

"I'm calling Masters as we speak." Steve declared with determination, but not before he leaned down and kissed Tara on the cheek! Then Bobby, Myles, and Jesse did the same. Levi barked enthusiastically. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but his pals were not acting sad any longer and it encouraged him.

"Good work, Tara!" Jack smiled widely at his friend, then he looked at Mark. "You too, Mark. Thank you. You two are the best!" He gave the older man a friendly hug.

"Happy to help." Mark smiled back.

"It's a gift." Tara replied. Everyone now scrambled around, ready for action. They had a chance now, well, at least to _find_ Sue and rescue Lucy!

"Steve and Bobby told you we'd find them!" Amanda exclaimed.

"Hello, sir?" Steve spoke into his phone urgently. "Sloan here. Yeah. Listen, chief, we know where White is hiding out, and we have a pretty good idea of where he's got Lucy. We need to pull a response team together, STAT! Yes, sir, we're _sure!"_

* * *

 **Maybe now they'll actually catch him! Are you excited? Ready for a stakeout? You'll miss something very important if you don't read the next chapter! Don't know how soon I'll get it posted because it's gonna be long, but I'll try to get it up soon. Once again, thank you for following and reading.**


	21. Chapter 21 Heroes in Action!

**I hope you all like this chapter. I really enjoyed writing it. Oh, I want to make one thing clear: any shots in this fanfic between Myles and Lucy are based on friendship, not romance.**

* * *

"Jessie? I think you'd better head back to the hospital." Mark said, while they were at the police station with Steve gathering together an army of officers plus Jack and his FBI team.

"But, Mark. I want to help." Jessie argued. "I think I should go with you." Mark pulled his young friend closer to him and spoke in hushed tones.

"Look, Jess, there's nothing I'd like better than to have you on hand in case things went wrong. But...I just have a strong feeling we're gonna need you more in the ER." Mark groaned. "If anything happens, or if Lucy's hurt bad, which I'm afraid she will be, I'd feel a lot better knowing you would be at the hospital waiting for us." Jessie frowned and nodded.

"You're right." He sighed. "Okay, I'll be there if you need me, but I sure hope you won't."

"So do I."

"Hey, guys? Let me know when you're out of there and on your way back, okay?" Jessie announced before leaving the police station.

"Will do." Amanda nodded. She was going with them. As county coroner, she should be there to...to examine Sue's cadaver, which she was _not_ looking forward to!

"Okay, guys. Let's go." Steve said. Chief Masters was standing behind him.

"I'm going with you." He said.

"We really appreciate that, Sir." Jack said solemnly.

"That's got nothing to do with it." Masters grunted. "This is my city, and I incinerate all the garbage. If you're really about to take down White, I want to be there to lead that knave away in handcuffs."

"It''l be our pleasure." Mark said humorlessly. He had already enlisted two ambulances from Community General to accompany them to the scene. One for Lucy, and the other...the other for Sue, to bring her to Amanda's morgue.

"All right. Let's go disintegrate this cockroach!"

* * *

Lucy couldn't see a thing. With the blindfold around her eyes and her arms still tied behind her, and now her legs tied again too, she appeared helpless. But Lucy Dotson wasn't one to just give up! She struggled to free her limbs and hands. She didn't know why the two scoundrels had transported her to a different location, but she had a feeling it wasn't good at all. From what she could observe through physical touch, she must be in a closet of some sort. "Drat you, White!" She growled. "You're not so smart if you think a little lockup like this is gonna keep me from talking! When I get out of this mess, I swear I'll see you from the witness stand and tell them everything!" Then she gulped. "Oh, Sue! Where are you, girl? What have they done to you? I'm not leaving this place without you! I promise."

* * *

"So, what exactly are you planning tomorrow?" Lance asked his boss.

"A day I've been planning and waiting for for a _long_ time." White said in contemptible delight. "These two weaklings were part of those darn imbecile feds who almost stopped me in D.C. If it hadn't been for them, I might've gotten away with it! Well, now they'll join _her_ fate. Tomorrow night, we're getting out of here, out of this place, and out of this town! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of all the places we used to go, and all the nauseous memories that reek in this crumby city!"

"But what about...you know."

"They'll never trace us here."

"Oh, yeah? Then how come I can't go back home?" Lance challenged.

"Idiot! They could trace you at your house from the prints on the broom, bonehead!" White's temper flared. Then he went eerily calm. "But they'll never find this place. And by the time anyone does, they'll never know it existed. When we leave tomorrow, this whole building will be nothing but kindling, and those two weak rabbits with it! They'll literally be toast!"

"You mean that?" Lance asked skeptically.

"I've dreamed about it every night, I think about it when I'm low, it gives me a reason to get up in the morning." White said quietly, taking on a creepy, faraway look. "I want to see her bloody name burn in big, bright, glorious flames against the night sky. I want everyone to see it, and that's how _she_ will be remembered! That's how _I_ will remember her!" Personally, Lance thought that was pretty extreme, but he knew better than to say it.

* * *

Jack was so quiet on the drive to the funeral home, and it really worried his friends, especially Bobby. Ever since Tara had received that killer email this morning, Jack hadn't displayed much emotion except sadness, which was completely understandable. But he didn't carry any of his usual tenacity, his determination, his drive to fight the evil they were facing. Right now it seemed he was only along for the ride. Myles, Bobby, and Dimitrius longed for Jack to at least show some anger, some fiery desire for revenge, then they'd know he was still Jack. But, no. At this time, he was a mere walking shell of heartbreak, just going through the motions.

"All I can say is thank God we figured this out before the 28th tomorrow." Amanda commented, trying to think of something good to say.

"Yeah." Tara agreed.

To them, the drive to the funeral home seemed to drag on as they counted every minute and every mile they'd traveled, but in reality it was much shorter than they realized. "There it is." Chief Masters said with satisfaction. Thankfully, the building structure was adjacent to the parking lot of a large warehouse, whose company supplied paper products, so the team of law enforcement officers had plenty of open space to park and areas to hide in order to have the funeral home surrounded. Masters, Steve, and Dimitrius setup their battalions of armed officers where they wanted them positioned. Masters himself, Steve, Dimitrius, Jack, Bobby, Myles, and six more officers were the ones who planned to enter the building. They were fully geared with ammo, ear wires, and bullet proof vests. Tara and Cheryl were in charge of the command center in the large phony bread truck they'd rented with a little help from Ben Hacker. Mark and Amanda joined them and Levi sat close between the two doctors who tried to comfort him and keep him calm. Tara and Cheryl had a blueprint of the building taped up on the wall and they'd be giving directions as the guys stormed the place. Amanda and Mark were constantly praying in their minds for safety and guidance.

"This is it, Jack. You with us, mate?" Bobby asked, patting his shoulder.

"Yeah." Jack bit his lip.

"All right, our first priority is to quietly get Miss Dotson and her friend out of there before White knows what's happening." Chief Masters said.

"His accomplice could be watching us right now." Myles commented.

"Well, I don't care how stupid they get with themselves, they're _not_ getting away this time!" Steve declared indignantly. "Tara? Cheryl? How are we looking?" He asked into his ear wire.

"Everyone is in position." Cheryl answered.

"Got it." Dimitrius replied.

"Snipers are in position for every side door and every window." Tara stated. "And backup is posted all around the perimeter in case they make a getaway."

"All right. We're going in." Masters said. "On my count, gentlemen." He, Myles, and Dimitrius covered the main entrance while Steve, Jack, and Bobby headed to enter through the Hurst garage. Steve looked back at Jack, not sure if he was truly ready for this.

"Jack, you find Sue, and leave White to us to handle. Got me?" He asked, trying to snap the guy out of his daze. Jack nodded.

"Okay, on three..." Masters whispered. "One...two...THREE!"

* * *

"POLICE! FBI!" Steve, Bobby, and Jack all shouted as they stormed inside. The interior of this once fancy place had now been stripped to look like a warehouse. "Okay, Bobby, you and I will go that way."

"I'll cover here." Jack said.

"All right." Bobby nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

2 minutes earlier, Lance had wandered into the main hall to get away from his easily provoked boss when he thought he saw vehicles outside. He ran to the window and looked. Sure enough, there were police vehicles and he could see armed men in various spots. Lance panicked and ran through the building hollering, his hysterical voice echoing through its now warehouse like walls. White met him in the old lunch room. " _What_ is your problem?!" White growled.

"Th...they're here!" Lance gasped breathlessly. "The cops. They're all over the place!" White's face turned beet red.

"You're lying, you slime ball!"

"G-go see for yourself if you're so smart!" Lance shouted. White looked out the windows.

"Drat!" He fumed. "What the heck is going on?!"

"I'm out of here!" Lance cried and started to dart, but White painfully gripped his shoulder.

"You stupid idiot! They'll shoot you as soon as look at you. You open one of those doors and you're dead meat!"

"You can't shoot cops, Jeff!" Lance warned. "That's a big..."

"You're right." White glared and tackled Lance to the floor. The guy fell on his back and White sat firmly on top of him, preventing any escape. He clenched Lance by the throat and with his other hand pulled out his gun and held it against Lance's chest.

"H-h-hey!" Lance gagged, horror pasted on his face. "W-what are you doing?!"

"You're disposable." White squinted down at him evilly. "Coward! Thought you'd spill it and get a square deal from DA, huh? I'll have it out with the cops, but you..."

"N-no!" Lance pleaded, fearing for this life. The anger left White's face and melted into a hideous sneer.

"On second thought..." He said casually, jerking Lance to his feet, but still holding him in a threatening grip. He backed him to one of the doors.

"L-look, man..." Lance begged. "After all I did for you...j-just let it go now, man…w-we got to give ourselves up." At that moment, White released him and shoved him backward out the door. There was a gunshot before the door closed and then the snipers fired and shot Lance up. He dropped to the pavement, never to wake again.

White was furious. At that moment he heard the police burst inside from the front of the building and he headed straight for the basement. Forget Lucy, they couldn't find her the way he'd put her away, but there was someone else he had to take care of before the cops stopped him!

* * *

"POLICE! FBI!" Masters, D, and Myles all hollered as they stormed inside the funeral home. They rushed to the viewing room, but when they reached it, there was no sign of Sue. "Blast it." Myles grumbled. They headed through other rooms, searching for Lucy and Sue.

"What just happened?" Amanda asked inside the command center when they heard shots fired outside.

"Detective Banks to Sgt. Barnes, over." Cheryl spoke into her two-way radio.

"Sgt. Barnes to Detective Banks, over." Barnes replied.

"Sgt. What's going on out there?" Cheryl asked.

"One of our subjects is down. They took him down as he came out the door." Amanda and Mark stared at each other.

"Which subject?"

"Officer Waner just confirmed that it's Howard Lance. He's dead." Barnes said.

"Okay. Over and out." Cheryl said.

"Ten four."

"Whew. They had me worried there for a minute." Mark sighed.

"Yeah, me too." Amanda agreed.

"Well, that's one less crazy to deal with." Cheryl stated.

* * *

"All right." Masters said after Cheryl told them.

"All I can say is good riddance." Myles said flatly.

* * *

Lucy heard the distant voices, aways off, but she recognized them and her heart lept in relief. They _had_ come, her faithful friends had come to get her out of this rat hole! But how would they find her? She struggled to free herself from the restraints but failed. "HELP!" She called out as loud as she could, while trying to kick the walls with her feet. "Guys! I'm in here! Help me!"

"Sshh. I hear something." Myles said as he halted in his tracks.

"So do I." Dimitrius said calmly with furrowed brows.

"Over here." Masters spoke up from the bathroom hallway. "In here." Myles and D scurried over to the closet the chief was standing in front of.

"Lucy?! Is that you in there?" D asked. "It's us!"

"YES!" Lucy cried. "Yes! I'm in here! Get me out! I can't see a thing." They all sighed with relief. Masters kicked the door knob and the door flew open. "Where are you guys?" Lucy asked, anxiously wagging her head back and forth, still blindfolded. Myles stepped inside the closet and removed the scarf from her eyes. She winced and fluttered her eyelids, trying to adjust to the darkness around her.

"Are you all right, Luce?" Myles asked tenderly. "Can you stand up?"

Lucy almost chuckled, when she recognized that all too familiar voice speaking to her. "I'm okay, and yes I can stand up if you'd untie me!" She huffed. Myles quickly released her and helped her to her feet. "Oohh, you have no idea how glad I am to see you guys!" She exclaimed, then lost her footing.

"You okay?" D asked.

"I'm fine, just that my darn feet went to sleep from being tied up too long." Lucy complained. They were relieved to see that she hadn't in anyway lost her wit or feisty side, considering what she'd been through.

"Lucy, where's Sue?" D asked. Lucy looked up at him with worry.

"Didn't you find her?! Isn't she with you?" Lucy gasped. "I don't know where she is! Those two skunks took her away! And you'd _better find her,_ because that White wasted no time in treating her like a punching bag!" Lucy spat out. The three men frowned, knowing all too well White's violent side and what he'd already done to Sue.

"Do you have any idea where they could've taken her?" Masters asked.

" _Noo."_ Lucy moaned. "I don't even know where we are."

"Okay. Myles, take her to Dr. Sloan." D instructed. "Bobby? We've located Lucy. We've found her and she's safe!"

"Oh, great. That's good news!" Bobby answered happily.

"Thank God." Steve agreed. "You'd better get her out of here. Bring her to Dad so he can make sure she's all right."

"Already on it, Lt." D answered. "Still no sign of Sue or White."

"We'll keep looking. Come on." Bobby said.

"Myles, is Lucy okay?" Jack asked hesitantly.

"Well, she's not thanking me yet for saving her, and she's complaining about the accommodations." Myles said sarcastically. "And she's not clinging to me. If that's not normal for Lucy, what is?"

"I'm good, Jack." Lucy said. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"Yours too." Jack said quietly.

"You've gotta find Sue, Jack!" Lucy wailed. "You've just got to. There's no telling what they've done to her!"

"Don't worry." Jack gulped. "I'll find her." He tried to keep himself composed as he searched through the basement for where White might hide a body. "D? Did you find anything in the viewing room? A secret panel? A...a..."

"There was nothing, Jack." Dimitrius said sadly, knowing what Jack didn't want to say. "But we'll find her." Jack cleared his throat and tried to keep looking.

Myles knocked on the truck door and Mark opened them. "Lucy," he said kindly, helping her inside.

"Oh, Lucy!" Tara exclaimed and hugged her friend, Amanda joined them.

"Girl, are you all right?" Amanda asked.

"Not 'til we find Sue!" Lucy declared. Everybody's faces fell. Levi jumped up, happy to see Lucy. "Oh, hey, buddy." She gushed, wrapping her arms around his very warm, welcome fur. "I missed you too, big fellow."

* * *

Sue was slowly starting to come around. Her body was hurting badly but she couldn't understand why. It felt very heavy, and as she moved her arms and legs, it was difficult and her muscles were so stiff. Her face felt raw, like it didn't belong to her, and was extremely tender when she stroked it. She very slowly opened her eyes. Wait, where was she? Wasn't she in her bedroom? It looked like she was in a room made of cinder block. But that couldn't be right! She was supposed to be at home, right? What time was it? Shouldn't she be getting ready for work? But with her body feeling so out of whack, she'd have to call in and stay home. There was no alarm clock in here, actually there didn't seem to be any furniture at all. The last thing she remembered was being at Community General talking with her friends and Dr. Sloan.

Sue tried to sit up but her upper body ached terribly and she could hardly move, plus the effort caused her to feel light-headed. Suddenly, for some unexplained reason, Sue felt an overpowering sense of dread. She didn't understand why, but she was very sure that something wasn't right at all. She had the thought that she was in danger, but she couldn't be, right? Yet, where were her friends?! What had happened and how did she get here? And where was Levi? Okay, now she knew that something was _really_ off! Levi was her faithful companion and always with her. What had happened to him? "L-Levi?!" Sue cried out. "Levi! Lucy, where are you? Jack?!" Just then someone cantered into the room. "Wh..." Sue tried to ask, but stopped when he glowered at her and aimed his gun at her.

"Shut up!" White hollered, sweat glistening on his face.

"I..." Sue whimpered in fear and total confusion. Who was this guy, and what had she done to make him angry enough to kill her? There was a familiarity in the flapping of his hostile lips, but other than that, she didn't recognize him. But she was very frightened and tried to speak. "Do..."

"Shut up! _Shut up!_ SHUT UP!" White howled, stepping closer to her. There was murder in his eyes and he reached towards her in a threatening pose, with his gun still in hand. Sue tried to back away from him but her body hurt almost too much to even move. She didn't know how to save herself. There was only one thing she could do: she screamed.

* * *

Jack was scouring around the dense walls and isolated rooms, listening for any sounds. He wished Levi was with him, surely he could find Sue. But then he'd have to watch the heartbroken Golden find his dead mistress. He heard rushing footsteps and a door thrown open. He quickly tried to follow the source as he heard an enraged man hollering. Then...a scream. Not just any scream... _ **HER**_ scream! For a moment he froze. Jack would know _that_ voice anywhere! Sue? Sue... _ **Sue**_ was in trouble and crying out for help! Jack's body raced with sky high adrenaline and he dashed toward the voices.

* * *

The other guys heard someone screaming through their ear wires, plus the desperate cries echoed throughout the halls. Bobby stopped in his tracks with Steve when they heard it. Bobby froze. "Jack, where are you?" Steve asked, but Jack didn't answer. "Jack!" Then he glanced at Bobby who looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "What is it?" Steve asked.

"Can't be," Bobby said, more to himself than to Steve.

"What?" Steve persisted.

"Th-that's Sue!" Bobby exclaimed.

Steve's eyes almost bugged out. _**"WHAT?!"**_ He gasped in astonishment.

"I...I know it can't be, but that's _Sue_ screaming!" Bobby declared excitedly.

"Sounds like it's coming from the basement." Steve stated. "Let's go!" They took off running back the way they'd come.

* * *

"That's Sue's cry." Dimitrius declared.

"What are you talking about, Ganz?" Masters asked skeptically.

"He's right." Myles spoke up. "That's Agent Thomas we hear! So she's alive!"

"Not for long if White decides to shut her up." Masters groaned as they kept running. "Come on."

"Tara, we believe Jack found Sue!" Bobby called into his ear wire. "And it sounds like she's alive!"

" _ **WHAT?!"**_ Tara, Cheryl, Amanda, Lucy, and Mark all blurted together, then they listened closely to the cries for help. Levi's ears perked up. He stood, wagging his tail and started barking eagerly. He whined and jumped up at the truck doors, demanding to be let out.

"Bobby's right." Lucy and Tara said together. _"That is_ Sue!"

"Oh, thank God." Mark sighed heavily and smiled at Amanda.

* * *

As Jack came around the corner in an abandoned hallway, he raised his gun then sprang into the room. "FBI! Freeze!" He barked, pointing his firearm straight at White. The murderer whipped his maddening face at Jack. But Jack's eyes were on the helpless victim leaning against the wall. It was her, it was Sue! It _was her!_ But she was hardly recognizable: her face was more bruised than in the hospital, and swollen too. She was trembling, she was crying, she was panting, she was _moving!_ She _was **alive!**_ And that louse was trying to hurt her. She gazed up at Jack in fear, hope, and worry. Jack's face darkened. All his suppressed anger, determination, buried stamina to fight the evil he was facing, and vengeance suddenly snapped and he felt his strength return. Jack Hudson was not a violent man by nature, he could usually hold himself calmly in check, but the sight of Sue so vulnerable at the hands of this vicious madman triggered Jack's dangerous side to the surface. He trembled in rage.

White was out of control. All of his dark plans were sinking down the drain so fast that his brain didn't have time to process a redemption of clenching them back within his grip, and his already reeling temper forced him to act on impulse. "Drat you!" He spat, and before Jack could even react, White darted forward and socked Jack hard in the middle. White, frustrated and livid, punched him again and again, then he kicked him in the guts hard. Jack was so stunned and out of breath that he couldn't fight back, but nevertheless, he firmly gripped his gun. White kicked him again and again, then he did it repeatedly in Jack's ribcage. Jack heard and felt them snap and collapsed to the ground though he fought for a foothold. White continued to kick him.

Sue was frozen in her spot, physically weary herself, her eyes glazed in horror. He pounded with his foot on Jack's torso, whamming him with the most defiant blows. "S-stop!" Sue begged desperately. "Stop it! Leave him alone! PLEASE!" White halted, then just like that, he snatched Sue by the arm, dragged her to her feet, and fled the room.

Jack lay on the ground, gasping for breath and wincing hard. His battered body was hindering him from being able to rise to his feet. His chest pounded and every breath he took sent a shot of sharp pain through his whole torso. Bobby and Steve ran to him. "Jack, you all right, man?" Steve asked, kneeling down next to him.

"Jack?" Bobby repeated anxiously. Jack clenched his teeth, trying to breathe, and pointed repeatedly in the left direction.

"S-stop him!" He moaned. "He...he's got...Sue!"

"I'll head him off." Steve stated, rising to his feet. "Bobby, you stay with him?"

"Sure thing, mate." Bobby nodded and Steve took off. Then they heard Sue cry out again. Jack gripped Bobby's arm.

"Bo...Bobby...help...find...Sue." Jack spoke between strained breaths. "G-go! Now! Please!"

"All right, you stay here, Jack and wait for help." Then Bobby left too. "Tara, we need Dr. Sloan in here, quickly. But not without backup. Jack's hurt bad. He's in the basement." Bobby spoke into his ear wire.

Jack painfully, forcefully pulled himself to his feet and staggering, made his way through a different door. The heavy, searing pain in his ribs and bruises on his stomach stole his breath away, but he had to get to Sue! He turned a corner, when he heard a frightened voice: _her_ frightened voice! They were very close by. He barged through the door and found White standing over Sue, who was on her back too weak to defend herself, trying to back away from him. White dropped to his knees and roughly administered a forceful grip on her throat. "Let her go, White!" Jack bellowed as he halted, aiming his gun. Just the strain alone of raising his voice made it even more difficult for Jack to breathe. Jeff sneered, backing up with his arm around Sue's neck, holding her in a headlock, and holding a gun to her head. Her face was drawn with fear and Jack couldn't stand the helplessness in her eyes.

"Jack," Sue's voice quivered. She'd seen him take the blows, and she was afraid that he was going to get hurt even worse now, especially if White didn't release her! It was actually a wonder that Jack was able to stand at all. _Don't. Please don't, Jack!_ Sue thought, pleading with him not to get himself hurt more than he already was, yet as the same time, _Save me, please, Jack! Get me out of this mess!_ Her eyes begged. Steve was close by, hiding around the corner and stealthily making his way behind White.

White clicked his gun. "Don't do this, White!" Jack half-pleaded, half-warned. "It doesn't have to be this way. Charlotte's gone, and you already made her pay for what she did to you."

"It's not enough, G-man." White snarled. "It'll never be enough!"

Jack stood his ground and tightened the grip on his pistol. "Let _her_ go! It's over." He begged in a cracked voice. White tightened his grip on Sue's throat. Steve was just about to whip around the corner and aim his gun at White when it happened. It happened so fast no one could've prepared for it, but to Sue it was like slow motion in a horrible dream. Within a split second, White removed his gun from her head and opened fire...at Jack! A white-hot, searing pain ripped directly through Jack's lower abdomen, making him flinch, and falling back, he collapsed to the floor wincing badly.

"Aaahhh! JACK!" Sue screamed, and struggled. Steve sprang forward from behind, and grabbing the gun from White's hand, pounced onto his back, and tackled him to the ground, pulling Sue along with them. White roughly gripped Sue by the shoulders and thrashed her aside where she was rammed against the wall. Steve angrily dug his fingernails into White's neck and tightly gripped him in a headlock, making the thug gag. The two scuffled on the floor. Jack lay on his back, grimacing and gasping.

" _Jack?! Jack?!"_ Bobby's voice was heard a couple rooms away, along with other footsteps."What's going on in there?!" He hollered into his mouthpiece.

"In...here!" Steve hollered as he continued to clench White's wrists and threw himself on top of him, finally pinning him to the floor. "Manning! Masters! Backup! I need backup in here! NOW!" White thrashed around, squirming underneath Steve's full body weight. Steve gritted his teeth. "Stay down!" He seethed. "It's over, White!" Bobby and the others scurried into the large room and took in the whole scene. Bobby's eyes flashed from Jack, lying on the floor in blood; then to Sue, lying dazed on her side; and to Steve who was trying to prevent White's escape. "Jack!" Bobby yelled, and leaped to Steve's side. He was going to help maul the fiend who had done this to his friends. Myles, Dimitrius, Chief Masters, and the other officers rushed after him. Bobby cringed and his eyes flamed in fury. Steve stood up and roughly jerked Jeff White to his feet. He slugged White hard square in the jaw, making the dirt bag stumble. Then Bobby grabbed him from behind and after turning him around, sucker punched him smack dab in the middle of his face. White slumped limply to the floor, out cold. Both Steve and Bobby panted heavily, glowering down lividly at the vicious killer lying unconscious at their feet. Myles and the officers raced over to them.

"All right. Get him out of here, before I make the tabloid news of what I do to him!" Bobby snarled.

"That goes _double_ for me!" Steve nodded with his hands on his hips. Chief Masters and Myles, along with the other officers, heaved the long-wanted fugitive up from the floor and dragged him out. Dimitrius was at Jack's side.

"Tara, get the paramedics in here now!" He yelled frantically. "Jack's been hit! Gut shot! And he's having trouble breathing!" Steve glanced from Sue to Jack, then back to Sue who was moaning and whimpering as she struggled to sit up. Bobby rushed to her side.

"Sue, you all right?" He asked with deep concern. Sue stared dazedly, mournfully at him.

Steve was standing behind them. "You see to Jack. I'll get Sue." He told Bobby, and he stooped down to help her. Bobby glanced sorrowfully at Sue, nodded, then darted to his best friend and dropped down on the floor next to him.

"S...Sue," Steve said as she sadly looked up at him, moaning. Her lips quivered. "It's all right." Steve said soothingly, smiling. "Here, I'll help you." Sue looked away and shrieked when she saw Jack, _her_ Jack: he was lying flat on his back, his face scrunched in extreme pain, and his left side was bleeding!

"Ohhh. J...Jack!" She cried and staggered to her feet clutching her side, and rushed to him.

"Steve! What happened?" Mark asked anxiously as he burst into the room.

"Jack's been shot." Steve growled, slipping his gun back into his holster. "You'd better help him, Dad. Looks pretty bad." Mark looked at the small group gathering together and he hurried over to see if he could help. Steve was at his heels. Jack's color wasn't good at all and his breathing was shallow and rapid. White had aimed directly at Jack's stomach, where the bullet proof vest had ended, where he knew Jack wasn't protected. Jack tried to sit up, but Bobby and D both pushed him back down.

"Stay down, Jack." D said calmly.

"You just hang in there, mate. You're gonna be fine." Bobby said in a shaky voice. His hand was firmly covered over Jack's left one, which was trying to compress his bloody side."We've got help on the way. Just hang on, Jack." Sue dropped to her knees right beside Bobby and leaned directly over Jack. She gasped and warmly gripped his bloody hand. Hot tears spilled out of her eyes.

"Jack!" She wailed. "It's okay. _I'm_ right here. I'm not gonna leave you!" The sudden, emotional movement of her jaw was painful. Jack clenched his teeth as he tried to raise his head and look into her soft brown eyes. He managed a very tiny attempt of a smile, then dropped back to the floor. Mark knelt down as Dimitrius stood up and stared with grave concern at the injured young man.

"Jack! Can you hear me?" Mark asked loudly, closely to Jack's face.

"I...I..." Jack gasped, nodding, trying to talk but he wheezed and coughed violently. Mark pressed his hands firmly on Jack's chest.

"Easy, easy," He tried to say encouragingly. Steve stood behind him, watching the whole thing. He silently prayed that Jack would be okay.

"Jack, we need you. You hear me?" Sue begged as her eyes swam. "Come on. I'm _not_ going home without you! We're going home _together!_ Okay?" Jack tried to open his eyes to look at Sue, but he was in so much pain that he couldn't. He started hacking again, and the spasm shook his body. He was gasping hard. Mark loosened the belt from around Jack's waist and pulled out his own handkerchief, firmly applying pressure on the wound that was still oozing.

Sue didn't move. She just gripped Jack's hand. Mark examined Jack's wound and heard the whistle in his throat, plus could feel the cracked ribs as he checked for further damage. "We need to get him to the hospital...fast!" he said urgently.

"The EMTs are here." Myles said.

"It's gonna be okay, Jack." Mark said soothingly, patting Jack's shoulder.

"We're here with ya, mate." Bobby said, small tears forming in his eyes at the sight of his best friend in such turmoil.

"Let them help you, Jack." Sue spoke softly.

Steve gently pulled Sue back and Bobby also helped her to her feet as the EMTs stabilized Jack and loaded him onto a stretcher then rushed him outside to the ambulance. "We'll do all we can." Mark said softly to Sue, then followed the paramedics.

"I'm going with him." Sue said with determination.

"Sue..." Steve started to protest, facing her so she could read his lips. Bobby patted her shoulder.

"Leave her alone." He said to Steve.

"I have to go!" Sue argued. "He needs me!"

"All right. Come on." Mark nodded, and carefully pulled her along.

Bobby gulped and wiped his nose. Steve stared at him sympathetically, and rubbed his shoulder. "He's in good hands." Steve said encouragingly. Mark nodded in agreement before leaving.

"Yes. Jessie's the best ER doctor I've ever worked with." He added. "He knows what to do for Jack."

Bobby sniffled and nodded. "Yeah. Right oh." He sighed and followed Steve outside. Myles and Dimitrius joined them. Lucy ran up to them as soon as they came into view. She threw her arms around Bobby, who returned the much needed hug. Tara, Levi, Amanda, Cheryl, and Chief Masters were all standing together in a group.

"Sloan, how badly is Agent Hudson?" Masters asked quietly. Steve looked up at him and shook his head.

"Not good, I'm afraid." He bit his lip.

"Is there anything we can do?' Cheryl offered.

"Yeah, there's _something_ you can do!" Myles snarled. "You can drag that piece of filth down to the house of justice where he belongs!"

"Right." Masters agreed. "We can all work on the report later. Right now I know you're anxious about your friend."

"Thank you." Lucy whispered.

"Detective?" Masters eyed Cheryl and headed to his car where White was confined. Steve nodded to Cheryl and she followed her commanding officer. Everyone else stood around, not sure what to do. The ambulance carrying Jack to the hospital blared on its sirens and sped away.

"We need to bring Lucy to the hospital and make sure she's not seriously hurt." Amanda finally said.

"I'm fine." Lucy shook her head. "I just hope Jack will be okay."

"I still want you to come in." Amanda insisted. "Come on. "I'll drive you and Tara there."

"We'll see you there." Dimitrius sighed. Levi sadly hopped into the back seat of Amanda's car next to Lucy. D and Myles rode with Cheryl and Chief Masters.

"Let's go, Bobby. I'll take you to the hospital." Steve said sympathetically.

* * *

 **So, what did you think of it? Really, you guys didn't honestly think that I would _actually_ kill Sue off, did you? It may appear so in my stories, but I can assure you I _don't_ do that, not to characters that everybody knows and loves! Besides, this is a murder mystery, so things are not always as they first appear. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Reviews are great. **

**Yes, Sue _is_ alive! But now what will happen to Jack?! Will he pull through? Will he survive? **


	22. Chapter 22 Needing a Miracle

Sue sat back in the corner of the crowded ambulance, watching them work on Jack. Her eyes were blurred with tears so she couldn't clearly read what their lips were saying, but she could tell by their frantic activity and heavy dread in the air that things were not good! She endlessly prayed in her mind and heart for Jack's deliverance out of this. He couldn't...he couldn't _die!_ She needed him, she wanted to be there for him. She wanted...she wanted to be his soul mate. By looking at the monitors in the truck, Sue could see that Jack's vitals were crazed: his blood pressure was very low, his heart rate was erratic. To Sue, he looked more pale than when he'd first been loaded into here, and the oxygen mask on his face made him look so...so...so hopeless. Mark and the paramedics had stripped his uniform and shirt off. Sue gulped when she saw his bruised and bleeding torso and squeezed her eyes shut in horror.

Mark listened with his stethoscope to Jack's chest, then moved it to his ribcage. "His heart rate's flying. Tell them we need trauma 1 on arrival, mobile x-ray, and an open OR! And keep the pressure on that wound!" In the midst of the chaos, Mark glanced over at Sue. She was leaning against the wall, hugging herself and biting on ceaseless tears. "We'll do everything we can." Mark tried to say reassuringly, making sure his lips were within her eye line. "We'll take care of him." Sue just gulped and nodded. Mark noticed that she was also pale and her gentle face features were pained. "Just sit still, Sue." He said, worrying that she was also going into a grave physical frenzy. "We'll get you some help in a few minutes, okay? Just try to relax as much as you can." Sue bit her lip. She _was_ in pain, and the emotional trauma she was rolling through right now was only adding to her physical suffering.

Mark was very concerned about the two young people under his care inside this ambulance. Jack's life was hanging in the balance, and Mark prayed every minute that he'd survive, though the chances looked grim. The broken ribs, the bullet wound, and most likely a punctured lung. Mark had seen much worse before, and the patients survived, yet there had been other cases where they hadn't. Boy, was he thankful he'd brought the paramedics with them to the scene! If he hadn't, Jack might not have a chance. Jack was a fine young man, and Mark was determined to see him pull through this! And Sue? She looked so much worse than when she'd been in the hospital: more mauled, weak, and in a lot of pain. Well, this time she'd be safer at the hospital, this time _no one_ would get in to hurt her! But Mark was worried about her emotional state even more. She'd been through a great deal, too much, and her body needed time to recover from the abuse, but so did her psychological mind. She'd been badly bashed, then in a coma, kidnapped, who knows how much more physical torture, regaining consciousness only to wake up to another nightmare, and to top that off, she'd been roughly handled and had been forced to watch a horrible scene unfold in front of her.

Mark gently stroked Jack's forehead, then the monitors went whack. "Jack! JACK! Can you hear me?!" Mark shouted loudly, but got no response. He took out his pen light and looked into Jack's eyes. They were dilated and unresponsive. "We need to intubate!" Mark ordered as Jack's pressure and pulse dropped even further.

* * *

They arrived at Community General in 3 minutes, and Jack was breathlessly rushed into the emergency room. Jessie was right on hand and met Mark. Sue slowly followed behind and reached the doors as they took Jack to trauma 1. Sue staggered towards the wall. Mark had told her to stay in the ambulance till he could bring a gurney to her, but in her anxiety about Jack, she hadn't listened. Just as quickly as Jack had been rolled into the room, he was rolled out on his way to the operating room. Sue suddenly grew very dizzy and felt her legs grow rapidly weak. Mark noticed her as he came out of the trauma room and quickly rushed over to her as she was about to collapse. He caught her just before she fell and Susan Hilliard appeared. "Susan, I need a hand over here!" Mark ordered and the nurse ran to him. Together, they helped Sue to a chair.

"Oh my...Mark, what happened?" Susan gasped, noticing Sue's appearance that looked so much worse than when she'd been hospitalized.

"Sue? Sue?" Mark tried to get her attention. He held her chin to direct her eyes to face him and read his lips. "Sue, can you see what I'm saying?" Sue nodded. "I want you to stay right here, okay? We'll take care of Jack, I promise. Jessie will be right there with him." Sue nodded again and Mark rose to his feet. "Susan, get her a wheelchair and take to her to minor trauma 2." Susan nodded. "Sue, I'll be right back. We're gonna get you taken care of right away, but I want you to _stay there,_ you understand?" Mark asked, pointing his finger. Sue nodded and Mark went make sure the bed they needed was open.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Susan said softly and turned to grab a wheelchair. Sue stared straight ahead, scared and terribly dizzy. She hurt all over and was growing confused. Susan was at her side again with a wheelchair. "All right, come on." She said. "Just lean on me." She put her arms around Sue and gingerly helped her to her feet, but before she could get her to sit in the wheelchair, Sue reached a hand to her head, moaning and started to collapse. "Help me!" Susan yelled. "Doctor! Somebody! Give me a hand! This woman needs help!"

Three pairs of strong hands were instantly nearby and caught Sue before she hit the floor. Susan looked up in relief to find Mark, Steve, and Bobby each holding Sue up. "Susan, get a gurney over here now." Mark ordered. A gathering crowd of nurses were forming around them. "Guys, can you bring her?" Mark asked. Bobby and Steve each slipped one of Sue's arms around their necks and together they both lifted her legs off the ground and followed Mark. They set her down gently on the stretcher and Susan followed Mark with it.

Bobby panted, half from excursion, half from worry. He didn't stop sucking in his sharp breaths. Steve noticed and touched his shoulder. "Bobby? You all right, man?" He asked. Bobby closed his eyes and nodded, but still heavily panted. "Come on." Steve said kindly and helped him to the waiting area. Bobby slumped down into the chair with his arms between his legs. He bit his lip hard and shook his head. "Dad will look after Sue. Hey, Jessie will take care of Jack, Bobby." Steve said confidently. "He's as good at his work as Dad is and I trust him with my life!"

"I don't doubt it." Bobby answered feebly. "Look, I appreciate your concern, mate. It's just...Jack's my best friend. The greatest guy I've ever known. And...I'm just...I'm not ready for him to hang up his badge, so soon. Ya know?" Bobby tried to joke. Steve grinned sympathetically and gripped Bobby's shoulder.

"Yeah. I do." Steve nodded, then blew out a long breath. "Well, thank God we got White!"

"Mmm." Bobby grunted quietly and leaned his head back against the wall.

* * *

"Where am I?" Sue asked. She'd only been out for a few minutes then had come to and found herself on a hospital bed with Mark and Susan standing next it.

"It's all right, Sue. You're safe now. You're at the hospital. No one's going to hurt you, I promise." Mark said reassuringly. Sue glanced around then looked frightened.

"J-Jack? Where is he?" She asked anxiously, and tried to sit up but Mark and Susan helped her lie back down. They really needn't have bothered, the pain in her body would've stopped her.

"Now just calm down." Susan said. "He's in surgery."

"Will he be all right?" Sue asked, looking into Mark's eyes hopefully.

"They'll take care of him, Sue. Jessie's with him." Mark said, not wanting to give her false hope. "Right now we're gonna concentrate on you. Now I know this is gonna sound like a stupid question," He chuckled, "but, Sue, are you in pain?"

" _Yes,"_ Sue nodded emphatically.

"All right. Where? Just tell me."

"All over." Sue moaned.

"Okay, we'll just have a look here." Mark checked Sue over thoroughly. Her face was swollen, she had a lump on the back of her head from when the thugs had dropped her on the floor, Mark could feel cracked ribs as he examined her thorax, her abdomen was badly bruised and sensitive to touch, and her right leg was badly bruised at the shin. Susan administered morphine and Mark sent Sue down to X-ray. When Sue was brought back, she was much more calm. They wrapped an ice pack around her face to get the swelling down, on her leg too. The x-rays arrived and Mark inspected them. "Well, it looks like your leg isn't mangled on the inside, just a very ugly bruise on the surface. You have a little goose egg behind your head, but that will pass. You do, however, have four broken ribs. We're gonna keep you here for a while. You think you're up to that?"

"Sure." Sue slightly smiled. "Where's Lucy and Levi? Is Jack still in surgery?"

"Lucy and Levi are on their way. They'll both be very happy to see you! Yes, Jack's still in the operating room. But the minute I hear anything, the minute he's out, I promise you'll be the first to know!"

"Thank you, Mark." Sue whimpered.

"Now, we're gonna get you into a room."

* * *

Amanda appeared with Tara, Lucy, and Levi behind her. They saw Bobby and Steve in the waiting area and approached them. "Any news yet?" Amanda asked. Steve shook his head.

"Nope." Bobby whispered, sadly looking up at Lucy and Tara. Their faces both fell. Levi pattered over to Bobby and set his head in his lap. Bobby smiled and rubbed his ears. "Aw, no need to look so down in the mouth, mate." Bobby tried to say cheerfully. "Sue will be fine, you'll see. And Jack's a tough, young bronco. It'll take more than a bullet and a tussle to keep him down, eh?" Steve could see that Bobby was not at all as confident as he felt, but the Aussie was trying to hold out hope. Levi licked Bobby, making him giggle. "Thanks, mate. I needed that. That makes me feel a whole lot better more than ya know."

"Any word on Sue yet?" Tara asked.

"No." Steve shook his head. "She passed out as we came in and we had to help Dad get her on a stretcher. But he's with her." Lucy's face darkened as tears came into her eyes. She'd been forced to watch those two mugs hurt her friend, and it made her very mad. She scowled and Tara put her arm around her.

"I'm sure you'll hear something soon." Amanda said with a smile. "Come on, Lucy. I want to make sure you're all right."

Steve knew that facade of optimism in the face of adverse circumstances all too well. He knew Bobby was trying to remain strong through his fear about his friend, but it was obvious that he was struggling. "So," Steve clapped his hands together, trying to lighten the agent's mood a little and lift his spirits, "can you tell me how an intelligent guy like Jack earned the nickname 'Sparky'?" He asked sneakily. Bobby glanced up at him and sadly but widely smiled with a chuckle.

* * *

"I'm fine." Lucy muttered as she followed the pathologist.

"Oh, they're bringing Lance in. I told them to bring him to my lab."

"Amanda, the snipers took him down." Steve said.

"I know, but it's my job. And I want to be sure of everything."

* * *

"Well, aside from some slight dehydration, looks like you're fit as a fiddle, Lucy." Amanda smiled.

"Thanks." Lucy stared down at her feet.

"Hey, I'm _really_ glad you're all right!" Tara interjected. "You don't sound very happy for someone who was just rescued and got good news from a doctor."

"That's because I'd like a chance to use the same hospitality on those two skunks that they did to Sue!" Lucy declared vehemently. "And no law officer in this city is going to let me!"

"Would you like a ride downtown to see them grill him good and crisp?" Amanda asked, snickering.

"I sure would!" Lucy snarled.

"I'm sure Steve would be happy to take you."

"I'd appreciate that very much. But, not till I know how Sue is, and...and Jack." Lucy said more softly now.

"Okay."

"Can I go now?"

"Sure." Amanda nodded. "I have to perform an autopsy on Howard Lance. He went down in a shootout at the funeral home. You're both more than welcome to watch."

"Thanks, but...I think I'll pass." Lucy scrunched up her nose and cringed, gaining some of her wit back. Tara shook her head with a smile and walked out with her friend.

"You want to try to get a bite to eat? I'm sure you must be starving." Tara suggested.

"I sure am!" Lucy agreed. "But, can we wait?"

"Sure." They joined Steve and Bobby in the waiting room.

"Good to see ya back with us, Luce." Bobby said with a smile.

"Same here!" Lucy exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Lucy, I know you've been through a great deal, but..." Steve said hesitantly, "but, as you probably know, you're gonna have to come downtown with me to give a statement."

"I don't think she'll have a problem with that." Tara grinned.

"You bet I won't. You want a statement, Lt.? _I'll_ give you a statement!" Lucy growled. "I'll tell you everything you want to know, if it means that bloody White will be in prison where he belongs!" Steve raised his eyebrows. This was the first time he'd ever seen Lucy Dotson's temper flare up, and, well...he had no doubt she'd make good her threat.

"Anything you can give us will be helpful." He finally said. Tara furrowed her brows and cocked her head at the ceiling.

"Tara?" Bobby prodded.

"I was just thinking." She said casually. "Bloody White. Hmm. Somehow I can't picture those two ever getting together. Sounds like one of our long departed tyrants from the Dark Ages." Steve snickered and shook his head. He was definitely right about one thing: Tara could always produce a good comeback. Just then, Myles and Dimitrius appeared. Myles raised his eyebrows, but Tara bit her lip and shook her head.

"Well, they've brought Lance." Myles sighed.

"I'll tell Amanda." Steve said and rose to his feet, then walked down the hall toward his friend's morgue.

"Lucy, you okay?" Dimitrius asked quietly.

"I'm fine." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"White's still out like a light." Dimitrius added. "Chief Masters dropped us off here because he knew we'd want to find out about Jack."

"Well, we haven't heard anything yet." Bobby shook his head. Just then, Mark appeared. Tara, Lucy, and Bobby rose to their feet. "Doc Sloan. How's Sue?"

"Is she okay?" Tara asked.

"She'll be fine, considering what she's been through." Mark smiled warmly. "She was badly beaten, and it's gonna take some time for her injuries to heal, but all in all, she's gonna be all right."

"Ohh," Tara sighed heavily and hugged Lucy. Everyone was so relieved beyond words. They'd thought they'd lost her, then finding her alive, and now? She was going to fully recover? They were very happy for that. It was almost impossible to believe, but it was true.

"Any news on Jack yet?" Myles asked.

"Not yet. I'm sorry." Mark shook his head. "But Jessie's very competent. Jack's in good hands, believe me."

"We'll take your word for it." Myles sighed, staring at the floor.

"Trust me, I hope he pulls through this almost as badly as you do."

"Can we see Sue?" Dimitrius asked.

"Certainly. I'll take you to her." Mark smiled warmly and they followed him to Sue's room.

* * *

"Huh. Now this is odd." Amanda stated, holding up the cover on top of Howard Lance.

"What?" Steve asked as he looked over her shoulder.

"I'd expect to find gunshot wounds on his back, considering that he stumbled backwards out the door," Amanda explained, "but not a direct one to the chest."

"What?" Steve sputtered and took a look for himself.

"Steve, none of you came into contact with Lance when you entered the building, did you?"

"No." Steve replied. "We were all searching for Lucy and Sue. And White. We heard shots on our wires and we heard that the snipers had taken Lance down."

"From the what Cheryl said, the snipers said he came out the door backwards, stumbling, he flinched, and then they opened fire on him. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That White killed his own partner as he shoved him out for a shield." Steve muttered. "He panicked and decided to get rid of him, figured with all those gunshots no one would know the difference of who did it first. Everyone would assume that he'd just been gunned down in a shootout with the police."

"I'll get you the bullets when I find them." Amanda said.

"Thanks." Steve sighed and walked out.

* * *

"Susan?" Mark rose his eyebrows as they reached Sue's room.

"She's settled." Susan replied. "She's gonna be groggy though. We just gave her a sedative. So, don't stay too long, she needs lots of rest." Then she headed down the hall.

Mark approached the hospital bed. Sue was settled comfortably, bandaged, and this time no heart monitors! Sue was staring at the wall when a wet, friendly, cold nose eagerly nudged his head under her hand. She looked down to see…"Levi!" She gasped happily. The ecstatic dog put both paws on the bed and licked her face. "Ohhh, I've missed you too, boy." Sue smiled. "Oh, it's so good to see you again."

"I told you he'd be happy to see you." Mark chuckled as he came closer.

"Oh, hi." Sue smiled. "You know, just a little dose of Levi love can go a long way to making someone smile."

"That he can." Mark agreed. "Oh, excuse me, I believe you have some visitors." He stepped to the foot of the bed as her friends gathered around, the friends she thought she'd never see again and vice versa.

"Hi." Sue slowly smiled.

"Hey, girl." Tara grinned. "How are you feeling?"

"Mmm. I've been much better." Sue grunted. "But you all are sure a welcome sight!"

"Yeah, so are you." Bobby smiled warmly.

"Any word about Jack yet?" Sue asked hopefully then yawned.

"Not yet." Lucy shook her head.

"You gave us quite a scare, Thomas." Myles said.

"Oh, sorry." Sue said slowly.

"It wasn't your fault." Lucy said quickly. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"We got White, Sue." Dimitrius said.

"W-White?" Sue asked in confusion.

"Yeah," Bobby said with furrowed brows when she glanced at him. "You know, the serial killer."

"Oh, yeah. Right." Sue nodded with a yawn. "So, you really got him."

"Sure did." Tara responded. "But enough talk for now. You get some rest, Sue. We won't be far."

"Okay." Sue sighed. They quietly started to shuffle out. Bobby affectionately rubbed her cheek.

"Glad you're gonna be all right." He grinned with that look that only he could give.

"Thanks." Sue smiled fondly at her friend. Then he walked out but Lucy lingered. "Luce, you okay?"

"Sure." Lucy nodded, but her eyes were misty.

"What's wrong?"

"I just...I'm just glad you're safe." Lucy bit her lip. She'd come so close to never seeing her best friend again, and she was angered every time she thought of how she'd had to sit by and watch her get tortured.

"Well, thank you. But...something's bothering you, Luce. What is it?" Sue asked persistently, though she was feeling fatigued.

"It's nothing." Lucy shook her head.

"I don't believe you."

"We'll talk about it later, okay? Right now I want you to get some rest." Lucy smiled her sweet smile that Sue loved so much and Sue returned it. Lucy was afraid to hug her, with the terrible injuries she'd sustained, but she warmly gripped her hand. "You get some sleep. I'll be back. _I promise!"_ Sue nodded and after one more loving look, Lucy left the room.

Sue stared down at Levi, who was staring back up at her and she affectionately rubbed his head. He reveled in the fond caress he'd been craving badly. Then he turned his head as a pair of long legs entered. Sue looked up to see Steve standing there. She slightly smiled. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hey," Steve smiled. "Just thought I'd drop in. You okay?"

Sue raised her eyebrows. "I'm _safe."_ She said emphatically. "At least, your father says I am."

"You are, Sue." Steve said confidently. "White is in custody, and all your friends are together." Sue glanced longingly at the door when he said that. She was aching to see _him_ come in, but he didn't. Steve noticed her eyes shift and figured he knew who she was looking for. "We're all praying for Jack, okay?" He said kindly. "Jessie will do everything that's needed for him."

Sue tried to stifle a yawn. "I know," she sighed. "And we really appreciate that. I have so many things I want to know, things I _need_ to know..."

"Yeah, well, why don't we save that for after you've gotten some rest and are feeling better, okay?" Steve interjected.

"Okay." Sue nodded. She was feeling more and more drowsy. "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Th-thank you." She said feebly, signing as she did it. "Thank you for...getting us out of there...and helping Jack. It means a lot to me."

"That's all right." Steve smiled. "That's what friends do. And it's my job."

"Right."

"Well, I'll leave you alone so you can get some sleep."

"Mmm-hmm." Sue nodded. Steve gave one good petting to Levi then waved and departed. Sue waved back and her face grew solemn as another figure came in right after Steve. It was Mark.

"Everything all right?" He asked.

"You mean between..." Sue yawned. "You mean between your son and me? Yes."

"That's good. Look, Sue, I know you're very worried about Jack. But right now the best thing you can do is get some rest." Sue's eyelids drooped and her face grew sad.

"I don't want to. Not till I know how he is." She said dejectedly. Mark patted her shoulder.

"I know." He said sympathetically. "I'll come to you as soon as Jessie reports to me. You really love that boy, don't you?" Though she was in an obvious losing battle against the slumber trying to overtake her, Sue blushed and gazed thoughtfully at the kind elder doctor whom she'd come to respect and love very much.

"Can't hide much from you, can we?' She chuckled.

"Well, remember, I'm only a human being." Mark replied casually. "But in my profession, observance of symptoms are one of the most important things we're trained for. It's a bad habit of mine." Sue smiled but was starting to nod off. "You really need to sleep, honey. And I don't believe God brought you and Jack together just to separate you in the end. No, He has big plans for both of you. But you and Jack are the ones who need to step up to the plate and take initiative." Sue smiled at him again but this time as her eyes faded, she couldn't pry them back open no matter how hard she tried. "That's right. You rest now." Mark sighed with relief. Levi glanced up at him. "It's okay, Levi. She's just sleeping. So shh." Then he left.

"Look, Dad, I need to get to the station soon." Steve stated.

"Yeah." Mark nodded.

"But I want to stay and find out if Jack's gonna make it." Steve said quietly and Mark sighed. "Oh, Amanda noticed that Lance took a point blank gunshot wound to the chest."

"Point blank?" Mark furrowed his brows. "But as far as we know, the snipers shot him down."

"I know. Amanda will show us the bullets as soon as she can retrieve them, and we'll have them analyzed."

"Right." Mark agreed. He and Steve walked to the waiting room where the FBI team had retreated. They all looked up expectantly but Steve shook his head. "Jack's a very strong young man." Mark spoke up, trying to keep a positive outlook. "And I can see that he has a very full life. I'm sure he'd fight to hang on to that." He smiled.

"Dr. Sloan?" Tara asked nervously. "How...how is Jack, really? Do...do you think he'll make it?"

Mark sighed. "Tara, I'm only a human being. He's been severely injured, but I assure you he's getting the best care possible. We won't know anything until Jessie returns from the OR. I wish I could pretend everything's gonna be okay, but until we hear from Jessie, let's just keep hoping."

"No news is good news." Myles said with his hands in his pockets.

* * *

Within 45 minutes, Jessie finally came out of the OR and stepped into the waiting room. Everyone anxiously stood and faced him. His scrubs were blood splattered and his mob of blond hair was drenched in sweat. All the observant eyes were closely scrutinizing his appearance and dejected manner, which filled them all with dread. Jessie sadly looked up at them. "Jess?" Mark gently probed.

"He's in the ICU." Jessie exhaled heavily. "We've got him on a ventilator."

"So...Jack's _alive?"_ Bobby asked emphatically.

"Yes, he's stabilized." Jessie answered feebly. "But he's not out of the woods yet. He's _very_ sick right now."

"How sick?" Steve asked.

"How bad is it, Dr. Travis?" Dimitrius added.

Jessie faced them all directly in the eyes. "He's in a coma. He has multiple bruising, and...he's lost a lot of blood. We've got him on IV and antibiotics. Thankfully, the bullet went right through, there was an exit wound, but it did plenty of damage. We had to suture his large intestine. He's got six broken ribs. One of them...one of them punctured his lung." Jessie bit his lip before continuing. "He went flat-line on the table but we brought him back. We had to insert a chest tube and do a tracheotomy. He has a low grade fever. The next forty-eight hours are critical." Tara and Lucy wrapped their arms around each other. Myles stared at the floor as Dimitrius gazed at Bobby, who looked like he felt nauseous. Steve grimaced and hung his head. Mark walked to Jessie and patted his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Jessie." He said. "You've done everything possible. All we can do now is wait, keep an eye on him, and pray."

Bobby gulped. "C-can we see him?" He asked pleadingly.

"Of course. But it'd be better if you went in two at a time." Jessie answered. Lucy agreed to go with him and they followed Jessie and Mark. Steve stayed back with the rest of the team.

Amanda walked up to them right at that moment, holding an evidence bag and a folder in her hands.

"Steve? I got..." She began but stopped when she saw their long faces. "Jack?" Steve nodded. "Ohhh."

"H-he's in the ICU, Amanda." Steve spoke up. "But, it doesn't look good."

Amanda's shoulders sagged. "I'm so sorry." Then she cleared her throat. "I, uhm...I found the bullets. Several of them were from the snipers' firearms, but the one that killed him wasn't, and I pulled that directly from his lungs."

"So, when our snipers fired..." Steve spoke.

"He was already dead." Amanda finished. "He was killed instantly from the point blank discharge."

"What's going on?" Dimitrius interrupted.

"It appears that White murdered his partner as he shoved him into our line of fire." Steve muttered. "Thanks, Amanda. I'll get these to the police lab." Amanda nodded and walked over to her new friends.

"I'm sorry to hear about Jack." She said softly. "But he couldn't be in a better place than here, with the condition he's in. I'm sure he'll be all right."

"I need to get a hold of Garrett." Dimitrius groaned and walked away, pulling out his cell phone.

"I'm glad that Sue's alive." Tara commented. It was all she could say.

"Amen to that." Amanda agreed.

* * *

Jessie quietly opened the door to Jack's room and stepped inside. Bobby found it ironic as he recognized the room: it had been Sue's when she was in here! The room was dimly lit, but Lucy and Bobby were devastated at the sight that lay before them. Jack was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor. The tube resting inside his chest bulged the exterior of his hospital gown, and there was another tube taped to his throat, with a filter sitting in his mouth. He looked so...so artificial! He looked like a corpse and was deathly pale. Lucy shuddered with tears in her eyes and Bobby put his arm around her. She leaned on his shoulder. Bobby was sick at heart and it was etched in every facial feature. At the moment he appeared as lost and shaken as Jack had...only this morning when they'd thought they'd lost Sue! Tears came to his eyes too. He'd never, _ever_ seen Jack like this. Injured, yes; scared and worried, certainly; helpless with unanswered questions, of course; in a hospital bed, on occasion; but...but _this?_ No, never _this!_ Bobby's heart was cracking inside. Jack was the best friend he'd ever had, and to know how close he was on the brink of death... _no!_ Jack was a fighter: he couldn't just die on his friends, on _Sue_ this way! He just couldn't. Jessie gazed at the two friends with sympathy, wishing badly that he could do more for Jack, wishing he could ease their pain and tell them it wasn't as bad as it looked, but there wasn't much else he could do.

"Jess? Look after them, will you?" Mark whispered from the doorway. Jessie nodded. "I have another patient who needs me right now." Jessie waved him off and checked the monitors tracking Jack's vital signs.

* * *

Mark slowly walked to Sue's room. He entered quietly, but there was really no need for that, seeing as she couldn't hear him in the first place. He smiled sadly at Levi who was lying on Sue's bed, curled between her legs. The dog looked up and panted happily at him. Mark rubbed his head, then turned his attention on Sue. She was out like a light, but she looked so peaceful, which was what she needed most right now. Mark touched her shoulder but she slept on. "Sue?" He spoke dismally. "I'm not going to wake you because you need your rest, but I promised to let you know as soon as I found out about Jack." Mark sighed heavily. Secretly, he was thankful that she was overpowered by the sedative, it would pain him ten times worse to have to tell her this bad news to her face. She'd already been through a great deal of physical and emotional trauma, and this added burden could significantly threaten to cause further harm to her condition. "Sue, honey...you'll be glad to know that Jack's alive, but...he's very sick right now. He's... _deathly_ sick! But I've seen him and I know he loves you, and I know he's not the kind of man to just up and quit when life gets rough for him. But, he needs you, all of you. We've done all we can, Sue. The rest is up to Jack. But I think you know as well as I do that every breath we breathe is given to us by someone much bigger than ourselves, and He's the only one who can truly help Jack. What do you say we ask Him together?" Mark gripped Sue's arm and bowed his head in silent prayer. When he looked up again, a soft paw touched his hand. Mark glanced down at Levi who gazed at him with understanding that he was unhappy about something. "You get some peace and rest, hon. You're gonna need all the strength you can get. Jack needs a miracle!"

* * *

 **Oh no, Jack! Will he survive? Is he going to recover? How will Sue react when they tell her?**


	23. Chapter 23 Safe?

**This chapter makes references to DM episode Retribution, and Sue Thomas FBEye episodes Prodigal Father (Jack's heart attack), The Gambler (Bobby's misspent youth), Simon Says, and Diplomatic Immunity.**

* * *

"How bad?" Ted Garret asked Dimitrius through his long distance line.

"He's...he's in critical condition." Dimitrius said seriously. Ted grew quiet, then sighed heavily.

"Thank you. Thank you for letting me know."

"Yeah." Dimitrius grunted, then hung up.

* * *

Bobby didn't try to abate the tears in his eyes and slowly approached his friend. Lucy remained right beside him. Jessie stepped back into the shadows and stood near the door. Bobby reached out his hand and slightly ruffled Jack's hair. "You did good, mate." He whispered. "You found Sue. Heh, you should've seen Steve and me give the old one-two on that scurvy drongo! We whammed the tar out of him, and we're not through yet. But, you...you've got to better, okay?" Bobby sniffled. "The team isn't the same without you, and...remember what you told Sue? You've got at least twenty years before you're allowed to even think of taking that kind of time off." Lucy sadly grinned up at her pal. "So, you get better, okay? Don't cool down your embers yet, okay, Spark?" Lucy patted his arm. Bobby bit his lip and stepped back. Jessie glanced up at him as Bobby wiped his misty eyes.

"You gonna be all right?" Jessie asked kindly.

"Yeah, sure." Bobby gulped. "Just...you know, it's a tough sight to take in." Jessie stared sympathetically and patted his shoulder.

"Hey, I understand." He said softly. He wasn't just trying to console Bobby, he meant it. He'd been down this road many times in the past when the closest people to him had been in such terrible circumstances. He remembered all too well when Steve had been gunned down by Gordon Gonzalez, and he'd had to tend his best friend, all the time living in cruel dread that he might lose him. And seeing Mark's deep anguish had been equally painful for him and Amanda. Bobby slightly smiled.

Lucy gripped Jack's wrist. "Thanks, Jack." She said quietly. "Thanks for coming for us, and getting us out of that rat's hole! I was starting to go insane! You don't know the half of what those roaches conspired. They made me sick! And I still feel nauseous at the thought of it." The she spoke in a softer tone. "You're a great guy, Jack. You're one of my good friends, and...Sue needs you! You rescued her, and you were so gallant. But, now you need to take care of her! She needs you. How many times do I have to say it or beat around the bush? You and Sue _belong_ together!" She grimaced with salty tears. She nudged his chin. "You silly guy. The FBI can't function without a love-sick blockhead like you!" But then, she couldn't force down a sob. She raised her hand to her mouth, and rushed out of the room. "Excuse me!" She brushed passed Bobby and Jessie, and headed for the ladies' restroom.

Jessie took a look back at his patient, then walked with Bobby down the hall to the elevators. "Hey, if it's any consolation, I understand what you're going through." Jessie spoke once they entered and the doors shut.

"Really?" Bobby asked quietly.

"Yes." Jessie sighed. "A couple years ago, Steve was brought in here, critically shot. We lost him and had to bring him back. He was on life support and in a coma for days. We didn't think he was gonna make it."

"You'd never know that to look at him now!" Bobby slightly chuckled. "I never would have guessed."

"Yeah." Jessie smiled gratefully. "But it was rough. I thought my friend was gonna die. Hey, Steve's like a big brother to me. He's the best friend I've ever had. I couldn't bear to lose him."

"That must have been a living torture for Dr. Sloan." Bobby commented.

"You have no idea." Jessie agreed. "It almost destroyed Mark! Then the guy who shot Steve was murdered, and Mark was framed for it. He was tried and convicted, and ended up on Death Row!" Bobby stared at the young doctor, wide-eyed.

"I can't imagine." He shook his head.

"Steve finally came back to us and helped prove his dad's innocence." Jessie continued. "We were all so happy to have them both back in our lives."

"Definitely." Bobby nodded. "So...as...as sick as Jack is...you're saying, you've seen things this bad, and the patient survived?" He asked hopefully.

"Sometimes." Jessie nodded with a small smile. "It's possible."

"Well, that's something good to think about." Bobby smiled. "Thanks for telling me that."

"Sure."

"So, uh...how long have you known Dr. Sloan?"

"Mmm, let's see. About five years." Jessie answered. "And it's been so worth it."

"He's a real diamond in the rough, isn't he?"

"Hey, now you're getting it." Jessie chuckled.

* * *

Steve found Mark in Sue's room. "Dad, I need to get down to the station and have them go over these bullets." He said.

"All right, Steve." Mark replied.

"How's she doing, Dad?" Steve pointed to Sue.

"She's resting, and that's what she needs most right now."

"She's going to be really upset about Jack." Steve stated cautiously.

"Oh, I know." Mark groaned, shaking his head. "After everything she's already been put through, a bad report like this could cause significant damage."

"And not just physical."

"No." Mark said.

"Well, I gotta go." Steve stated and headed for the door. "Dad, please let me know if there's any change...if...you know."

"I will."

"Hey, hang in there, bud." Steve said to Levi then walked back to the waiting area where Dimitrius, Myles, and Tara were sitting. "D, Myles, feel like going for a ride?"

"Count me in." Myles stood up.

"I'll stay here." Dimitrius declined. "Someone has to."

"Go where?" Bobby asked as he and Jessie approached.

"Down to the precinct." Steve answered, turning toward them. "You wanna come, Bobby?"

"You bet I do!" Bobby glared. "I just came from Jack's room, and I wanna see up close and personal when the mug that did this to him gets the third degree!"

Steve nodded. "How is he, Jess?"

"No change." Jessie sighed.

"Right, well let's...where's Lucy?"

"Uh, I think she's a bit detained." Bobby remarked. Tara headed down the hall to find her.

"When Tara comes back, tell her we'll be waiting downstairs, okay?" Steve asked.

"Right." Dimitrius said.

"All right. Let's go." Steve said and Myles and Bobby accompanied him to the elevators.

"You doing okay?" Jessie asked Dimitrius.

"Sure." D whispered. He blew out a breath. "You know, this is the second time Jack's been in the hospital with a heart condition?" Jessie's ears perked up at that.

"The second?" Jessie gaped incredulously. "He seems healthy to me."

"About four years ago, he had a heart attack." Dimitrius explained.

"A _heart attack?!"_ Jessie exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

"He had an irregular heartbeat, with neck pain, and..."

"A mild arrhythmia." Jessie finished for him.

"Exactly."

"I didn't know that." Jessie stated. "Thanks for telling me. Excuse me." Dimitrius went up to ICU to be with Jack. Jessie found Mark in Sue's hospital room. "Mark." He spoke up.

"Hi, Jess." Mark turned to face him. "Sue's sleeping."

"Good." Jessie responded. "Mark, I have to tell you something." His tone was very solemn and Mark stared at him thoughtfully, afraid of the answer.

"What is it, Jess?"

"I just found out from Agent Ganz that Jack had a mild arrhythmia about four years ago." Jessie explained.

"A heart attack?" Mark gaped.

"Yes. He said that Jack had had neck pain, and..."

"Ohhh." Mark grimaced. If the irregular heartbeat attack Jack had been inflicted with had caused only minimal damage, that was one thing. But with the punctured lung that he had now, this serious injury could expand the minor damage he'd already had! Jessie looked up sadly at his mentor, fully aware of the efficient complications this could cause in Jack's condition. Mark patted his shoulder. "Thank you, Jessie. Thanks for letting me know."

* * *

Tara walked to the nurses' station. "Excuse me, have you seen Lucy?" She asked Susan.

"No, sorry." Susan shook her head.

"Thanks." Tara grunted and walked to the ladies' room. She was just about to enter when Lucy came out. "Hey, you all right?" Tara asked, putting her arm around her friend.

"Sure I am." Lucy smiled.

"Well, come on." Tara tilted her head and they walked to the elevators too.

When the group arrived at the station, Cheryl told Steve that White was still unconscious, but was cuffed to a chair in a cell, with security watching his every move. "Oh, and the captain wants you in his office. You guys too."

"All right." Steve said. They followed him into Captain Newman's office. They noticed Chief Masters inside as they entered. "You wanted to see us, sir?"

"Yes, Lt." Captain Newman answered. "As you know, Jeffrey White is in our custody. And Chief Masters informed me that one of the special agents was seriously injured?"

"That's right, Captain." Myles spoke up.

"How is Agent Hudson?"

"He's in bad shape." Bobby said. "In critical condition."

"I'm very sorry. We put in a call to your unit supervisor back in DC."

"Well, thanks but Agent Ganz already did that too." Myles stated.

"It's our responsibility, Agent Leland. Miss Dotson, you were one of Jeffrey White's hostages?"

"Can we just dispense with the formalities, Captain?" Lucy snapped. "You _know_ I was! The chief already told you, and I just really want to give my statement and get out of here." She huffed. They all stared at her. Bobby touched her shoulder.

"Sir, Lucy's been through a lot and has hardly had a chance to catch her breath." Bobby interjected. "Could we just get this over with? She needs rest." He felt Lucy's shoulders sag in relaxation.

"Of course, I'm sorry." Newman said. Lucy gave her statement. She was frustrated, and she needed nourishment.

"And then...and...then..." Lucy tried to continue, but was having a hard time focusing. "The..."

"Luce, I think..." Myles spoke up.

"I..." Lucy began but she swayed and started to collapse. Steve, Bobby, and Myles each rushed to her side and held her up on her feet.

"You all right?" Steve asked as they helped her sit down on a chair.

"I-I don't know, I...just got really dizzy." Lucy shook her head, trying to compose herself. "I'm sorry."

"Did you get anything to eat at the hospital?" Steve asked.

"I can't remember." Lucy moaned, rubbing her temples.

"Sir, she's starving. Can she go now?" Bobby requested.

"Yes, of course." Chief Masters nodded.

"Come on, Luce." Myles helped her out of the chair. "We'll find you something decent to eat in this one horse-town."

"Thanks, that's...real chivalrous of you." Lucy feebly retorted. Masters and Newman furrowed their brows. Steve shook his head and grinned.

"Sir, Dr. Bentley at Community General pulled these bullets out of Howard Lance." Steve said, holding them up in an evidence bag. The other one that didn't match the others was in a separate bag. "But, as you can see, one in this bag does not match the others."

"Your theory, Sloan?" Newman asked, glancing up from under his glasses with his eyebrows raised.

"We believe the snipers gunned him down, but Dr. Bentley said that _this_ lone ranger was the one that killed him. It was directly fired into his chest." Steve explained.

"That lines up with what our snipers reported." Chief Masters added. "They told us that Lance stumbled backwards out the door before they fired. We'll get these to the lab."

"Agent Manning, I realize you're concerned about your partner," Newman started, "and that you've already had a very trying day, but as you probably know, we need your eye-witness account as to the events of the stakeout."

Bobby frowned. "Right, oh." He muttered.

"Yours too, Lt." Newman said firmly. Steve and Bobby both shared their testimonies, as did Myles when he was ushered back into the office. "Thank you. We will need Agent Thomas's testimony too."

"Well, right now she's being hospitalized." Bobby said. "She needs rest and I'm not gonna disturb her after what she was put through."

"No, of course not." Chief Masters agreed. "But we _do_ need her account as soon as possible."

"You'll get it." Bobby said with an edge in his voice.

"Can we go now?" Myles asked. "I for one am also starving."

"Yes, you're dismissed." Newman sighed. "Close the door on your way out." The guys found Lucy in the waiting room, snacking on a bag of Nachos.

"That's no nourishment." Steve commented. "Anyone else hungry? What do you say we go somewhere that we can get some _real_ food?"

"If you're talking about your mouth-watering restaurant _BBQ Bob's,_ I'm all for it!" Lucy smiled. "That actually sounds pretty good."

"I'm not gonna argue with that." Bobby smirked.

"All right then." Steve agreed. "Cheryl, you wanna come with us?"

"I'll meet you at the hospital." Cheryl declined. " _But,_ if a certain gentleman would be considerate enough to bring me some with him, I'd appreciate it."

"You got it." Steve smiled.

* * *

Steve gave Lucy a hearty plate of a full rib combo, on the house. Bobby ordered a full burger combo, while Myles helped himself to a salad and a sub sandwich. "Jack doesn't know what he's missing." Bobby chuckled.

"Well, just think, we can really rub it in the next time he comes here." Myles said sarcastically.

"You come to our neck of the woods, Steve and we'll treat ya to _Slappy Joe's._ Best French fries and milkshakes on the East coast." Bobby chuckled.

"Sounds tempting." Steve grinned back.

"Wow, Luce. That's the most I've ever seen _you_ pack in." Myles said smugly.

"Hey, I was just pulled out of a hostage situation." Lucy retorted. "I've had nothing for days. I'm so hungry I'm strongly tempted to eat this whole thing, including the plate!"

"You'll owe me for the plate." Steve chimed in.

"You can't treat a kidnap victim that unfairly, Lt." Lucy interjected. "You do, I'll give this place a bad review."

"Take my advice, don't press your luck in believing she won't do it!" Myles exclaimed. "In case you haven't noticed, Lucy doesn't make idle threats."

"I'm beginning to see that." Steve said flatly. Lucy smirked and bit into her lunch again.

"I'm so glad Sue's gonna be all right." Bobby remarked.

"Here, here." Steve agreed. "Jack's gonna be okay, guys. You know that, don't you?"

"That's what I'm hoping for." Bobby sighed.

"I'm trying to be as sure as you, Lt." Lucy said sadly. "How do you know?"

"One thing I've learned about Jack from working with him," Steve cleared his throat, "he's not a quitter. And I don't think we should quit on him. I know that my dad has never quit on me, no matter what the circumstance." Bobby, Myles, and Lucy gazed at him thoughtfully.

"You know, you're getting to be as insightful as your father." Lucy smiled sadly.

"Thanks, Steve." Bobby bit his lip. "Appreciate that, mate."

* * *

"Dr. Sloan!" Norman Briggs called from behind Mark at the nurses' station. Mark finished up a patient's chart, handing it to Judy, one of the nurses and removed his glasses as he turned to face the administrator.

"Norman," Mark replied. "What's up?"

"Good news." Norman smiled. "I spoke to the board about the theme for our children's fundraiser project, and they totally went for it!"

"Oh, Norman, that's good news." Mark smiled. "Uh, they went for what?"

"The theme." Norman frowned. "It was a suggestion from a respectable member of society. The board members ate it right up!"

"Oh," Mark raised his eyebrows, still in the dark though. "Well, that must be a relief to you, Norman. But, what is the theme?"

Norman only smiled wider. "You won't believe it. But right now I have other things to do. I have to set the wheels in motion."

"Norman, that's all you're gonna tell me?"

"For now. By the way, Mark, how is the Rose Man Murder case coming along?"

"You didn't hear?" Mark asked.

"No."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that the FBI caught him...this morning!"

"Oh, thank God! That is a blessing." Norman grinned.

"Yes, it is." Mark sighed. "But, Agent Hudson was hurt badly in the take-down. He's in the ICU right now."

"Oh, gracious me. That's terrible!" Norman gasped. "How is he doing?"

"Oh, not good, Norman." Mark shook his head. "His condition is critical and he's on life support."

"This is dreadful." Norman stated. "How about the lady hostages?"

"Oh, they got them out, Norman. They're both alive and going to be all right."

"That's something to be thankful for." Norman suggested.

"You're right about that."

"Well, I'll let you get back to your patients." Norman said and walked away. Mark sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Headache?" Delores asked as she approached him.

"Eh, not really." Mark shook his head. "Just..."

"A lot on your mind." Delores finished for him. "You're worried about those two sweet young people, aren't you?"

"Oh, Delores." Mark grimaced. "It's just...they're both so bright, so promising, so..."

"Decent. They're wonderful kids." Delores said. "And strong too. They'll be all right, I'm sure of it."

"I wish I was as sure as you." Mark exhaled heavily.

"You're a big softie, and softies melt to butter when things get discouraging. You need to be put back in the fridge to regain some of that solid condiment!" Delores crossed her arms. Mark couldn't help snickering. "Now if you'll excuse me, doc, I've got patients...and _paperwork._ So do you." She scolded and walked away. Mark certainly hoped her instincts were telling the truth.

* * *

 _It was happening again! Sue was on the floor again, hurting all through her entire body and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get up. She couldn't even raise herself with her elbows. She felt as if she was being tied down with an anvil. Then she saw him! He was hovering over her with a scarf in his hands. Simon's eyes widened in ghastly triumph as he forced the scarf against her throat. Sue tried to fight him off, she tried to struggled against him but something was keeping her from even lifting her arms to defend herself. Sue screamed as loud as she could, but no sounds came out as Simon choked her. She couldn't breathe! Then... **then** Simon froze, looking stunned, and tumbled onto the floor beside Sue, out cold. Sue gazed at her killer, wondering what had happened, then looked back up. There **he** was! It was Jack! He stood there, his eyes wide with fear and concern, then he holstered his gun and started toward her to help her up when…_

 _Some green-clothed blur appeared out of nowhere and socked Jack hard in the stomach. Jack winced tightly in pain and nearly collapsed to the floor. The guy in green kicked him in the chest. Sue was horrified. She tried to cry out to protect her true love, but her voice was choked up. Jack was kicked again, and again, and again, every defiant blow shooting a hot sear into Sue's own body. She tried extra hard to sit up, but she couldn't. Finally, Jack couldn't take anymore and fell straight down to the floor. Sue's heart stopped when she saw the thug pull out a gun, aiming straight down at JACK! "J...J...Ja...J..." Sue choked to yell his name, but it was futile. "N-n-NO! NO! J-Jack..." And with that, the gun went off..._

Sue bolted upright in the hospital bed, wide-eyed and shivering, but she immediately collapsed back onto the pillows as the sudden, heavy pain flashed through her body. Levi placed his front paws on her bed and nudged her arm with his head. Sue glanced at him in relief. She frantically looked around the room. Where was she? Oh, that's right, she was in a hospital room and it was the brink of evening. She drew in deep breaths and shivered with chills, while anxiously stroking Levi's head. His warm, soft fur was an incredible soothing therapy. "Jack!" She gasped with tears in her eyes. "Jack..." Her lips trembled. Where was Jack? Was he...alive? Why wasn't he here with her? Levi nudged the nurses' on call button as Sue lay in the bed, very frightened.

Mark stepped into the room and she met him with anxious eyes. "Sue, are you all right?" He asked, coming close to her.

"Mark, is Jack okay?" She cried. "Have you heard anything yet? Where is he?" Mark's face fell and he sighed heavily. Sue braced herself.

"He's alive, Sue." Mark said. Sue immediately relaxed, for a moment. "But, I'm afraid he's very sick." Sue studied his face keenly.

"How bad?" She gulped, preparing for the worst. Mark's manner and body language spoke dismal consequences. He touched her shoulder.

" _Very."_ He said solemnly. "He's in the ICU." Sue pursed her lips.

"Why?" She asked in a small voice.

"He took a severe beating. The bullet went right through him, but he lost a lot of blood. And, one of the broken ribs punctured his lung. He has a fever, and we have him on a ventilator." Mark sadly explained. Sue grimaced and shook her head.

"Can I see him?" She asked. It was more of a plea.

"Yes, but I have to warn you..." Mark began, trying to prepare her for the awful scene she would see.

"Take me to him, Mark. Please." Sue begged.

"All right." He nodded and gingerly assisted her out of bed into a wheelchair. Levi faithfully walked at their side as Mark rolled Sue through the hallways. When they reached the ICU, Mark halted and stood in front of her. "Sue, I have to warn you," He said seriously, "he may look disturbing to you." Sue signed _thank you,_ but gazed at him persistently. He sighed and wheeled her into Jack's room. Mark was right: Sue was dismayed at how sickly Jack looked. She'd seen people in the hospital before, she'd seen Jack hospitalized before when he'd had his heart attack, and with other job-related injuries, but this was different. Jack was in critical condition, and his every breath was precious. Sue glanced back up at Mark longingly and he pushed her toward the hospital bed.

Levi placed his head on the bed. Tears filled Sue's eyes. Mark touched her shoulder and turned her face toward himself. "I'll let you two have some time alone."

"Thank you," Sue responded feebly.

"If you need anything, I'll be out in the hall." He said. She nodded, he patted her shoulder, and slowly walked out.

Sue gazed painfully at the man who had become so much a part of her life. It was more than that. He was part of _her._ He'd taught her so much on the job, and a lot about life. They'd been there for each other through joys, laughs, tears, and heartache. All this time, she wouldn't admit it, but Lucy had been right all along: they were meant to be together. But now? It seemed that they'd never have the chance! Jack might have been just a very good friend, but Sue decided then and there, she was going to tell him what was in her heart, no matter what. She'd wasted too much time already trying to hide it, and every time they put it off, something bad always happened which made them only realize their desire even stronger. Well, no more of that! If Jack ended up saying that he'd always only be her friend, well-as much as that thought brought a lump to her throat-she had to be honest with him.

She warmly gripped his limp hand, the same way she had when he was in the hospital because of his heart attack, and the same way he'd done for her so many times she'd lost count. Now she wanted to pour into him, at his lowest moment, the love and care he'd poured into her numerous times. Now it was her turn to take care of him! The sight of his handsome face ran together as the tears blurred her vision. She longed to see him open those beautiful dark eyes that had helped win her heart. She stared endlessly at the regular but seemingly fragile rising and falling of his heartbeat, each one ricocheting an equal pounding in her own. "Th..." Sue gulped, trying to whisper. "Thank you, Jack." She said, barely audible. "Thank you for coming for me! Tha...thank you...for everything."

* * *

Steve returned with Bobby, Myles, and Lucy at the hospital. White had regained consciousness while they had been at _BBQ Bob's,_ so they'd rushed back to the station. Bobby and Steve had gladly been inside when White had gotten the third degree, and he'd been violent and easily provoked. They'd stayed for his incarceration processing, making sure it went through, and when they were satisfied had headed back to Community General.

Lucy decided to go sit with Sue but panicked when she went into the room and didn't find her. Normally, Lucy was a very level-headed woman, but after all that had happened in the past week, the past few days alone, her heart raced with fear. Levi wasn't in here either. Lucy came out into the hall and frantically glanced around for someone familiar to talk to. She spotted Amanda and ran to her. "Amanda!" Lucy gasped. "Do...do you know where Sue is? She's not in her room and neither is Levi!"

Amanda touched her arm. "Calm down, Lucy." She said softly. "I'm sure they're fine."

"B-but she's gone!" Lucy panted.

"Shh. It's all right." Amanda said, and paged Mark. He took the phone at the ICU nurses' station. "Mark? Do you know where Sue is? She's not in her...oh! Ohh. Okay. All right. Good. No, no, that's okay. We just wanted to know where she was. Yeah, thanks." She smiled. "It's all right, Lucy. Sue was worried about Jack, so Mark brought her up to the ICU to visit him."

Lucy sighed heavily in relief. "Ohhh!" She gasped. "Okay. Okay. I don't know what got into me. I'm not usually that panicky. I guess..."

"You haven't had any rest since you were rescued this morning." Amanda said. "You need time to let your mind and body recover from that frightening experience. Now come with me and I'll see that you get some rest."

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Lucy protested. "I'll just wait in Sue's room for her to come back."

" _Lucy,"_ Amanda argued firmly. "She's safe now. _You're_ safe now. But you haven't fully processed that yet. Now just do as I say, okay?"

"But Sue's my friend. And she needs me." Lucy moaned. "I...Amanda, please, I...I need to be close to her."

"We can easily fix that." Amanda smiled. "We can issue you a hospital cot in her room."

"Oh, thanks!" Lucy finally smiled. "That'll work. But, I'm _not_ gonna rest till she's back in there."

"Humph." Amanda grinned as she left the room then shortly returned. "Here, you must still be hungry. How about a brownie?" She offered.

"Thanks." Lucy accepted and devoured it. Within two minutes she started feeling very, very lousy. "H-hey, can you h-help me?" Lucy asked, feeling drugged. "I don't feel right."

"Of course you don't." Amanda said. "Not with the sleeping tablets I smuggled into your treat!"

Lucy glared at her. "You _whhatt?"_ She huffed groggily. "You didn't!"

"Oh, yes." Amanda said triumphantly with her arms crossed. "As sharp and stubborn as you are, I didn't think you'd accept a drink from me so I decided to choose something much more subtle."

"No! I'm gonna fight this thing, you devious doctor." Lucy argued as she struggled against the heavy slumber that was quickly overpowering her. Her head started to roll to the side. Amanda smiled and helped settle her onto the cot. "You...won't...get away...with this." Lucy continued to protest, now with her eyes closed.

"I'm afraid I have." Amanda smirked. "Dorothy, you lay down and rest. We'll get you back to Kansas as soon as possible."

"Kansas...is on...the other...side." Lucy whispered as she lost consciousness. Amanda covered her with a blanket and patted her arm.

"That's right, Miss Hot Stuff. Just sleep."

* * *

Mark tried to give Sue as much time as possible with Jack and Bobby came in to sit with her for a while. Even when Mark finally decided she needed to go back to her room, Sue begged him to let her stay. Bobby assured her that he'd stay with Jack through the night, and she reluctantly agreed, as long as they promised to bring her back as soon as possible in the morning or wake up if there was any change in Jack's condition. Mark wheeled Sue back to her room where Lucy was sleeping and gently helped her get settled back in her bed. Sue sadly gazed straight ahead as Mark gently lay her down comfortably on the pillows. He glanced down at Levi who cocked his head and met his gaze. He touched Sue's shoulder, trying to direct her eyes on his lips but it was a few seconds before she slowly did. The helpless sadness and anxiety in her eyes tore at Mark's heart and he wished so badly that he had something happier to tell her. "Jack has lots of people who care about him," Mark offered, "and he has _you_ to live for. I don't think he would just roll over and throw all of that away." Being a keen observer, he saw the faintest sliver of a sad, tired smile on Sue's face. "I know it's very hard, honey, wanting him to be all right and wishing you could do more to help him. I've been there before, and it's horrible to go through."

"I can pray for him." Sue whispered.

"Yes!" Mark nodded emphatically. "Yes, you can, and you can count on mine too."

"I know I can." Sue said. "Mark, do...as a doctor, in your professional opinion, do...do you think Jack can hear us when we speak to him?"

"That's a controversial theory that has been debated over and over again," Mark responded, but then he smiled. "But I can tell you personally that I firmly believe in it!" Sue smiled.

"Thanks."

"You get some rest, dear. If I know Jack as well as I think I do, he'd want you to recuperate all you can so you can be there to greet him with a bright smile when he wakes up." Mark said.

"You're right. I'll try. I promise." Sue sighed in resignation. It was the farthest thing from her mind and she had no desire to sleep, but Mark was right: it was what Jack would insist on, and she certainly didn't want to encumbered in drowsiness when he came to!

"That's a good girl." Mark said. "Rest well." He leaned over, patting Levi. "And you see to it that she does, buddy." Levi grunted in response and panted then Mark left the room.

Levi climbed up onto the bed with his beloved mistress whom he'd missed miserably, relishing in her familiar, delicate stroke and trying to offer what comfort he could as he sensed her deep unhappiness. "Thanks, boy." Sue smiled down at him. "Yeah, I missed you too." Her heart prayed every moment for Jack's life to be spared.

* * *

"Dad, we should go home and get some sleep. It's been a long day." Steve said.

"I know I really should," Mark agreed, "but..."

"Don't worry about a thing, Dr. Sloan." Susan spoke up. "We'll keep an eye on them."

"Thanks, Susan. I know you will." Mark grinned. "I suppose you're right." He said to Steve.

"Should I tell Tara?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think she'll want to leave."

"Right." Steve sighed and made his way to the visitor's lounge where he found Tara, Dimitrius, and Myles. "Tara, uh, Dad and I are ready to go home for the night."

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick around here for tonight." Tara grinned, sipping her coffee. "You know, in case Sue or Lucy need something."

"Right." Steve smiled, but secretly disappointed that he wouldn't get to enjoy her company.

"Besides, I have a ton of computer work to keep me busy."

"Oh, by the way, Cheryl called and said that the bullet that Amanda pulled out of Lance, the on that killed him, was from a 38., not a sniper's rifle." Steve said.

"So our psychopathic woman killer eliminated his partner." Myles remarked. "Not the kind of warm, welcoming boss people in crime would like to get to know better."

Steve shook his head with a smirk. "Hey, you'll let us know if there's any change?"

"You got it." Dimitrius looked up at him. "Hey, Steve. Thanks for all you've done."

"No problem." Steve smiled and shook his head. He headed to ICU and found Bobby in Jack's room. The dejected Aussie was slouching in a chair, staring at his bed-ridden pal. There were tears in his eyes. "Uh, I'll be back later." Steve spoke up, aching for Bobby's obvious hurt and wishing he could cheer him up. Bobby looked just as lost as Jack had only _this morning_ when they all thought they'd lost Sue. "You call us if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah." Bobby said quickly, not even looking at the detective. Steve looked at him sympathetically and came closer to him, standing beside the chair.

"I'm sorry this is so hard for all of you, Bobby." He said earnestly. "I wish I could make it better. Jack's a good guy," he purposely refrained from saying, _"only the good die young"._ "I'm glad I've had the chance to work with him."

"He _is_ a good guy, and not just on the job." Bobby said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands together. "Ya know, there was a time I was accused of misconduct when I slugged a diplomat who was bashing up a woman. She almost died. I was at risk of losing my job. Jack agreed to go with me in a restricted area to find the concrete evidence we needed to nail the guy. He stepped right in to help me, even though he knew he could get into just as much trouble as me if we got caught. But he still did it! When I said that I was going to give myself up for that, he insisted on not letting me go down alone in taking the heat.

'When I decided to go undercover on a case that was too close to one of my personal misspent, youthful vices, Jack knew my past secret and warned me over and over not to do it. He was really worried about me. And he kept me accountable, even when I wouldn't listen. Then he tried to help me get out of it.'" Bobby hung his head. "Just...I still need him. The team still needs him. I mean, look at the hole he'd be leaving in the bullpen if...if..." Bobby bit his lip as tears streamed down his face. "There's...there are just some things in life that not all the money in the world can buy."

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "I know that for a fact." His thoughts went to his best friends Amanda, Jessie, and Jack Stewart, but most of all to his dad Mark. He realized it had been God's timing that he came in here when he did because Bobby had needed a friend to talk to."Hey, if you need _anything,_ don't hesitate to ask, you read me?" Bobby smiled and nodded with a sniffle. Steve gripped his shoulder and patted his back then started to walk out.

"Hey, Steve." Bobby looked up.

"Hmm?" Steve turned to face him.

"Th...thanks."

"Sure." Steve smiled and slowly walked out.

Bobby couldn't help feeling deep admiration for Steve and his dad. They'd gone way out of their way to help himself and the team, extending their hospitality to complete strangers, working selflessly with them to capture White, and making sure that any injuries received only the best and very care. Bobby would always remember these two devoted men, and hoped that someday he could return the favor. Amanda and Jessie had been great too. Amanda was like Lucy's twin in so many ways. And Jessie? The little yobbo sure had a way with him where you couldn't keep a smile off your face for very long. They'd all been great.

"Bobby's with him." Steve said. "I doubt you could pry him out with a crowbar if you tried."

"No indeed." Mark said. "But I can totally understand how he feels."

"Yeah, me too." Steve said wistfully before they walked out together.

* * *

Lucy tossed and turned restlessly. _She wasn't in a hospital room with Sue. She was back at the funeral home, tied to a chair. White and Lance were in the room, and worst of all, Sue was helplessly pinned on her back on the floor only a foot away from where Lucy was restrained. Sue's eyes were wide with hurt and intense fear as White beat her and beat her, and beat her, and beat her again!_ _ **"STOP! STOP IT!"**_ _Lucy screeched in an ear-splitting tone. But White just sneered back at her then, looking down on Sue with a sickening, cruel grin, he kicked her again. Sue flailed but couldn't move away. Her terrified eyes fell on Lucy._

" _Lucy! Help!" Sue pleaded horribly. "Stop him! Make him stop! PLEASE! Just make him stop! Why don't you do anything? He's hurting me. LUCY, HELP ME! Help me...help me..."_

Lucy gasped loudly as she rolled over and landed with a thud on the cold floor. The impact o her head hitting the tile jolted her wide awake. She shivered in horror and at first was confused of where she was. She tried to breathe deeply to calm herself and knelt next to the cot, resting her face on it. Then she felt a cold, wet, welcoming nose on her face and a soothing tongue giving her kisses. She smiled sadly and clung to Levi. "Am I ever glad to see you, boy!" She exclaimed. She looked up at the hospital bed, and there was Sue peacefully sleeping! She was alive, she was here! She was... _safe._ They weren't at the funeral home, a place of darkness and turmoil, they were here at Community General, a place of care and reassurance, and safety. Lucy slowly breathed in relief with hot tears in her eyes.

Sue was dreaming again the same horrible dream that she had earlier in the day, of Simon trying to strangle her to death, Jack shooting him and trying to reach her, then...then White battering Jack and killing him! Sue moaned and cried out in her sleep and Lucy quickly rushed to the hospital bed. She gently shook her shoulders. "Sue? Sue!" She tried to get her attention, then-yeah, duh! Sue couldn't hear her, darn it!-and shook her a little harder. Sue finally opened her eyes. She stared in confusion up at her friend.

"L-Luce? Lucy, is that you?" Sue asked anxiously.

"Yes! Yes, dear. It's me." Lucy bit her lip.

"W-where are we?"

"We're in the hospital. Do you remember?" Lucy asked. Sue glanced around then slightly relaxed, but only slightly.

"Ohhh," she rubbed her head. "I...I was having a nightmare."

"What was it?" Lucy inquired slowly. Sue gulped and wrapped her arms around herself as Lucy affectionately rubbed her shoulder.

"It was...flashbacks of Simon," Sue began sadly. "When he tried to kill me. Jack shot him and was coming to me, when...when White just appeared out of nowhere. He...he hurt Jack really bad, then...then he killed him. He shot him!" Sue shuddered at the tormenting memory.

"Oh, Sue. I'm so sorry." Lucy said tenderly and wrapped her arms around her friend. They remained that way for a few minutes, till Sue gently broke away. "You gonna be all right?"

"I'll get there." Sue weakly smiled. Lucy sagged down on her cot, looking worried. Sue noticed her anxious expression. "Luce, what's wrong? Are _you_ all right?" She asked, concerned.

"Sure. I'm fine." Lucy whispered. But Sue could clearly see that she was not!

"Something's bothering you. What is it?" Sue insisted. Lucy grimaced and tried to wipe away tears.

"I just...I had a nightmare too." She sniffed.

"Ohh." Sue furrowed her brows in sympathy, and slowly shifted her legs to dangle over the edge of the bed. "What happened?" She asked.

Lucy bit her lip and winced. The salty tears made her eyes glimmer in the dim light. She looked at Sue, pain etched in every line of her beautiful, usually bright, cheery face. "We were kidnapped again." She croaked. "White had me tied to a chair. They brought you in the room."

"They?" Sue raised her eyebrows.

"White and Lance." Lucy said. "Oh, that's right. You didn't know that they'd kidnapped us, did you?"

"No!" Sue gasped, shaking her head.

"Well, they had you on the floor and...and...White kept beating you!" Lucy cringed and felt nauseous. "I yelled at him over and over again, but he just...that slime-ball just laughed. And he didn't stop hurting you. You...you begged me to make him stop, but...he wouldn't listen...I...I couldn't do anything to stop it!" Lucy wailed and buried her face in her hands. Levi rested his head in her lap. Sue leaned forward, but her ribs forbade her to stretch out very far. She signed to Levi to get Lucy's attention, and he obeyed by placing a paw on her knee. She looked up and rubbed his ears, then looked up at Sue.

"Come here, Luce." Sue said with outstretched arms. Lucy cried more and fell into her friend's warm, loving embrace. She placed her arms around Sue and the two girls cried together on each other's shoulders. Levi stood up and placed his paws on Lucy's back. Lucy and Sue just held onto each other, comforting each other like the truly adopted sisters that they were, their fear, exhaustion, pain, and need for comfort all pouring out. Sue breathed deeply from the true sisterly love she felt from her bosom friend. Lucy clung to Sue, thankful for the contact, its mere essence wiping away the gut-wrenching pain of feeling guilty and fearful for Sue's safety. For the moment, in that darkened hospital room, they were close. They were... _safe!_


	24. Chapter 24 A Surprise Visitor

"You mind if I go with you to the hospital?" Steve asked Mark the next morning.

"Not at all." Mark smiled. The drive to Community General was quiet, both Sloan men lost in their own thoughts, thankful and relieved that Jeffrey White was finally in custody and off the streets but still concerned about the FBI team members who had worked so hard with them to catch the guy.

Steve's thoughts also drifted to a place he hadn't planned on visiting: if _he_ had been in White's shoes, if his childhood lifetime sweetheart had suddenly just dumped him for no reason, how was he sure that he wouldn't have reacted the same as White? Sure, he would've been furious and deeply hurt, maybe to the point of rash behavior, but murderous revenge? If the shoe were on the other foot, would Steve had taken matters into his own hands the way White had? Surely not, the question lingered in his mind. In the back of his thoughts he truly felt sympathetic to White's pain of rejection from the woman who had betrayed him. But then, every time Steve thought of how many bodies he'd had to find, how many innocent women that were _not_ Charlotte Wilby had had to fall victim to White's ritual, how worried his new friends had been when the scoundrel had taken Lucy and Sue hostage and broken Jack had nearly crumbled when he'd thought he'd lost Sue forever, and now how the decent guy was needlessly lying near death in a hospital bed, all of Steve Sloan's protective cylinders started rolling again, and the anger at that formerly phantom killer would return.

Mark also thought of Jeffrey White. Maybe he could talk to him, maybe bring the criminal down to a reasonable level. In Mark's eyes, Jeffrey White was a very sick man, at least that was the term he personally used, and he wondered if he could've treated the guy's symptoms had they met long before now. He wished they had, then maybe all of this waste of precious life wouldn't have happened at all!

* * *

As they walked out of the elevators at Community General and headed toward the doctor's lounge, they found Tara there at her laptop. She sipped her coffee then smiled as she saw them. "Hey, guys." She spoke cheerily. Steve couldn't help smiling back at that contagious grin of hers.

"Tara, have you been in here all night?" Mark asked.

"I guess so." Tara shrugged. "At least it's where I found myself when I woke up this morning."

"How are your friends?" Mark asked again.

"Sue and Lucy are both resting comfortably." Tara answered with satisfaction. "I think they were completely exhausted. Dimitrius and Myles both left last night, but they should be back any time. But...nothing new with Jack yet." Her face fell.

"I'll go look in on him." Mark offered.

"Thanks." Tara slightly smiled and took another sip of her coffee. Steve was reluctant to go, he wanted to stay in here with her, but out of concern for his other friends, he followed Mark to the ICU. They passed Amanda on the way.

"Morning, guys." Amanda smiled. "I'm leaving in a few minutes. I promised CJ that I'd take him to the soccer game today, and with the manhunt we've been on, we haven't spent as much time together as we've tried. Now with White in custody, maybe my son can get a break."

"Well, you two go and have a good time." Mark smiled. "How are our patients doing?"

"Sue and Lucy are both resting. Poor Levi was famished. You know, he hadn't eaten at all since Sue had been kidnapped?"

"Poor dog." Steve muttered.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much." Amanda smirked. "I gave him what was left of Lucy's BBQ from yesterday. He scarfed it right down! _Plus,_ Delores offered him some waffles and bacon from the cafeteria this morning." Steve's mouth watered at the thought.

"I don't think Levi will ever go back to regular dog food again!" Mark laughed.

"I don't blame him." Steve stated casually. "So, nothing new on Jack?"

"I'm afraid not." Amanda shook her head solemnly.

"Okay, thanks, hon." Mark patted her arm.

"Sure." Amanda smiled.

"Tell CJ we say hi."

"Sure will." Amanda said and walked away.

* * *

Mark and Steve entered Jack's hospital room and found Bobby slouched in the same chair he'd been in the night before. His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and his face was drawn with anxious exhaustion. "Bobby?" Mark asked quietly, after reading the vital monitors keeping Jack alive. Bobby slowly glanced up at them.

"Oh, hey there." He tried to smile. "You guys back already?"

" _Already?"_ Steve raised his eyebrows.

"You two should've gotten a rest." Bobby said groggily. "I can sit here with Jack."

" _You_ look a mess." Steve pursed his lips. Mark came near and touched Bobby's shoulder.

"Bobby, how many winks of sleep did you get?" He asked, though he knew the answer to that already.

"Mmm." Bobby rubbed his eyes. "Ahh, maybe about an hour ago, around two or so."

"I'd say about half an hour, about 2:30, _four_ hours ago." Mark corrected him. "You need some rest."

"Don't worry about me, mate." Bobby whispered, shaking his head. "I'm fine. You should concentrate on Jack."

"We will, but right now we're gonna concentrate on you." Mark said. "Steve, could you give him a hand? I'll stay with Jack for a while. Put Bobby in my office, he can lay on the couch."

"Right." Steve nodded and took Bobby's arm. "Come on, let's go."

"Look, Doc, I'm fine, really." Bobby yawned.

"Bobby, listen to me." Mark said quietly. "When Jack wakes up, do you want him to rant on you for being too tired to visit him?" Bobby weakly chuckled. "You go get some rest. We'll let you know the minute there's any change in his condition. Don't worry, I'll be here with Jack. You go with Steve, go on."

"Mph. Maybe a little cat nap won't hurt." Bobby sighed.

"Come on." Steve grinned and helped the Aussie to his feet.

"Aaahh." Bobby grunted, stretching his numb muscles. "Thanks, Doc." He wearily walked out into the hall with Steve.

Mark lingered glancing at the machines to see if there was any difference since he'd first come into the room. There wasn't. He gazed down at the lethargic, vibrant young man living on assisted life support. Mark felt his forehead and sighed as the fever was still intact. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Don't go yet, Jack." He said grimly. "I know you can pull through this. The Lord's not through with you yet. You have too much to live for to die like this. Come on, Jack. Fight it! You've got to."

* * *

Though Bobby argued that he was fine, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the sofa arm. Steve heaved the Aussie's long legs onto the furniture then, after shaking his head, left Mark's office. He reentered the doctor's lounge. Tara was still there. She glanced up at him with a smile then turned her eyes back to her laptop. Steve wistfully smiled back and poured himself a cup of coffee. "You just never stop, do you?" He remarked.

"Huh?" Tara raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, your little side-kick there. He goes with your everywhere, doesn't he?"

"Guess so." Tara shrugged. Steve came over and sat down on the couch beside her.

"You know, I never stopped to realize how excellent a woman could be if she really set her mind to cryp...cry..."

"Cryptology." Tara grinned, finishing for him.

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "I'm not trying to be forward or anything, but speaking for myself, you're a wiz at this cryptology stuff."

Tara chuckled. "Thanks. I've always been enthralled with international espionage. When I was a little girl, I'd enjoy playing things like _Invisible Link_ and _Decode the Rings_ while the other girls played house." Steve laughed.

"I used to play cowboys and Indians, or cops and robbers." He stated. "I was always the cop or cowboy. I remember, when I was six-years-old, my mom made me a Superman sweater. Dad says I wore it for a whole week. He says I thought it made me indestructible." Tara grinned.

"Look, uh, Steve..." Tara began slowly. "I just want to be upfront about something. I...I do have a boyfriend." She bit her lip. Steve's face fell and he sighed heavily.

"Oh." He mumbled, then cleared his throat to try and hide his disappointment. "T-that's great. W-what's his name?"

"Stanley Abbott." Tara answered quietly, feeling bad for the obvious hurt she read in his body language. "He works for NSA. He's a code breaker. We've worked in cryptology together, when he's been in town."

"I see." Steve nodded and decided he'd better get out of here.

"Hey, wait a minute. Please?" Tara asked, gripping his arm. Steve grimaced and stared at the floor.

"What is it?" He asked glumly.

"Could you sit down for a minute?" Tara begged. Steve begrudgingly complied and sat back down, but he shifted to the other end of the couch. "Yes, Stanley and I get along great and I really enjoy his company."

"I'm glad to hear it." Steve lied flatly and started to rise again, but Tara shoved him back.

" _But,_ we aren't entirely exclusive." Tara tried to sound reassuring. "And to be honest, I would truly enjoy getting to know you some more."

"You would?" Steve finally faced her again, perking up a little.

"Yeah." Tara nodded. "But since we've only just met, I think we'd better try to keep this in a respectful, casual, friendly, team relationship. Are...are you okay with that?"

Steve pondered what she'd said. He already had a feeling now that Tara and himself wouldn't end up together down the road, yet he still had the yearning for her company and the desire to get to know her better. If they were to remain strictly friends, he guessed he could learn to live with that. "How would Stanley feel about that?" He asked nervously.

"If we keep it casually mutual, I think he won't object." Tara smiled.

"Er, maybe we should check with him first?" Steve persisted.

"Maybe you should talk to him instead of me." Tara suggested. Steve felt a hot flash.

"Oh, I...I don't know about that." He protested.

"Know what? I think he'd be intrigued that you considered his feelings first before jumping into this." Tara snickered.

"You...you think so?" Steve stuttered, a mixture of hope and dread wallowing in his stomach.

"You won't know unless you ask." Tara smiled widely. "Here's his number." She handed Stanley's business card to Steve.

"Okay. I'll think about it." Steve gulped. Just then, Jessie poked his head inside.

"Oh, excuse me." He grinned mischievously. Steve picked up on that tone and look and squinted a warning to the young doctor. "Can I get you anything, Miss Williams?"

"Tara." Tara corrected him. "No thanks. I'm good."

"Well, I better get to the station." Steve cleared his throat and stood up. "Uh, I'll see you later."

"See ya." Tara waved.

"What? Does her alluring smile give you butterflies?" Jessie whispered naughtily as Steve stepped into the hall. Steve pursed his lips in aggravation.

"Zip it, Jess." He commanded.

"Ah," Jessie's eyes lit up. "So she _does_ give you a funny feeling. Yeah, I see what's going on."

"I'm warning you, Jess..."

" _Dr. Jessie,"_ Jessie squeaked, pretending to be someone else. "Oh, you hear that? I have rounds to do. Bye!" And he quickly skedaddled away from the detective. Steve rolled his eyes. Then Jessie quickly turned back toward him. "Need a temporary loan for _The Red Gardenia?!"_ He teased.

"Get out of here!" Steve hollered, picking up a clipboard from inside the lounge and tossing it directly at Jessie! As Jessie ran off laughing heartily, the flying object smacked dab right into...Myles! He and Dimitrius had just been walking toward the lounge when Steve threw the board.

"Oohhff!" Myles groaned as the board smacked him in the face.

"Whoa, hey. You okay?" Dimitrius asked with a grin. Myles huffed and headed straight toward Steve. He rolled his eyes and handed him the chart.

"Where I come from, we do not assault hospital visitors with standard equipment!" He grumbled.

"Sorry about that." Steve bit his lip. "I didn't mean to hit you. I was, uh...aiming for someone else."

"Agent Leland, do you need a hand?" Susan asked as she walked up to them. "Here, let me get you some ice."

"I'm fine!" Myles growled, shoving her hand away.

"I'd better get out of here." Steve said quickly. "Let me know if there's any change."

* * *

Mark was still sitting in Jack's hospital room, praying, watching, and hoping. He'd lost count of how many times he'd done this with Steve his own son. He couldn't quite explain why, but he felt a sense of obligation to the young man who lay just a few feet away from him. Maybe it was because of how much Jack cared about people; maybe it was because he was from out of town and Mark sensed the need to be hospitable; maybe it was because of Jack's tenacity, determination, but also compassion he held for the people he tried to protect, so much like his son, Steve. Actually, all the FBI agents were like that, but Mark felt especially drawn to watch over Jack in his fragile condition. He sincerely hoped that Sue and Lucy both would continue to sleep for a while longer, they needed all the strength they could get. and Mark wasn't looking forward to seeing the disappointment in their faces, especially Sue's when they saw that Jack was still in a coma.

* * *

Down at the police station, a tall, dark-skinned, bald man in a business suit approached Cheryl's desk. She glanced up as she heard his approaching footsteps. Unless she was mistaken, she was sure she'd never seen him before. "Excuse me?" The visitor said to Cheryl.

"Yes, sir? Can I help you?" She asked.

"I was told I could find a Lt. Sloan here?"

"Sure. He's right over there." Cheryl pointed. "The dark-haired guy in the purple shirt."

"Thank you." The man said and walked over to Steve's desk. Steve was working on his report on the capture of Jeffrey White. "Lt. Sloan?" The visitor asked. Steve glanced then stared up at the large man he didn't recognize. The guy's eyes gave you the impression that he could see right through you.

"Yes. That's me." Steve replied with caution, scrutinizing the man suspiciously.

"Ted Garrett, FBI. Task force supervisor, DC bureau." Ted answered, showing his creds.

Steve raised his eyebrows and rose out of his chair. "Oh," he replied. "Lt. Steve Sloan, LAPD, homicide division." They shook hands. "I take it you're here regarding Jeffrey White?"

"Yes, that's part of the reason." Ted sighed. Steve was a little wary of this stranger. Was the guy going to accuse him and the whole precinct of incompetence, getting Jack shot, and was he threatening to scandalize them? "I'm actually here about my special agents."

"Yeah." Steve cleared his throat. "You see, about that..."

"How is Jack?" Ted interrupted Steve.

"I'm sorry, sir." Steve shook his head. "I'm afraid he's the same. But I can guarantee you without a doubt that he's getting the best possible medical care in the state! My father, Dr. Mark Sloan and my good friend, Dr. Jessie Travis are both seeing to his needs. And I can assure you Jack couldn't be in better hands!" Ted stared blankly at him before speaking again.

"I want to know what happened before I go see him." Ted said.

"I'll fill you in."

"And what's the status on Jeffrey White?"

"He's in isolation, sir and under a cinder around the clock security."But I think you'd better come with me and speak with my supervisor, Captain Newman."

"Good idea." Ted agreed.


	25. Chapter 25 If You Truly Want Me

**Lots of Jack/Sue in here!**

* * *

Delores entered Sue and Lucy's room and Levi eagerly greeted her, hoping for more hospital food. Delores chuckled and patted his head. "Sorry, baby." She smiled. "That splurge I gave you this morning should carry you till lunch time." Levi moaned. "So, how they doing?" She looked over at the two girls sleeping peacefully, or at least both of them should've been. One of them was not. Sue's eyes were open and she was anxiously staring at Delores. Delores smiled widely and walked over to the bed. "Well, 'morning, precious." She said cheerfully. "How ya feeling?"

"Miss Mitchell?" Sue began.

"Ahh. Forget that. You can call me Delores."

"Delores, do you know how Jack is?" Sue blurted anxiously. "Have you heard anything?"

"I'm afraid he's the same." Delores shook her head and Sue hung her head. "Now, honey," Delores kindly patted her shoulder and made sure the young woman was reading her lips, "he's no better, but no worse. And he ain't goin no place or he'll have _me_ to answer to!" Sue only slightly smiled, confused by that remark.

"What do you mean by that? Did I read that right?" Sue asked.

"Uh-huh. That dashing fellow of yours made a bargain with me and I'm gonna see that he keeps it! If not? Well, he won't wanna run into me again if he comes back to California!"

"W-what kind of bargain?"

"Oh. Well, you see, he doesn't know about it yet." Delores laughed, and Sue couldn't help snickering. "Ah, now there's some sunshine. That's what I like to see."

"Delores, can I please see Jack? I need to be with him. Will you take me to him, now?" Sue begged.

"I think we'd better get something in your stomach first."

"Not till I see Jack." Sue said firmly.

"Whoa!" Delores exclaimed with her hands on her hips. "Well, warn me not to be so easily taken in by that sweet face of yours again! Sure, I'll take you right now." Sue smiled and signed _thank you._ The senior nurse settled her into a wheelchair, and with Levi at her side, they headed towards ICU, leaving Lucy in her exhausted slumber.

* * *

Mark was sitting in the chair still staring intently at Jack and periodically glancing at the monitors: no change, good yet not good. Then he heard little clicks pattering on the tile floor and smiled as Levi trotted into the room and greeted him panting. He reached out his paw. Mark laughed and rubbed behind his ears plus shook his paw. "You know, Levi? If I could talk the medical board into it, I'd honor _you_ with an award for outstanding practice in therapeutic medicine!" Levi woofed and Mark grinned. Delores wheeled Sue into the room and Mark rose to his feet. "Good morning, Sue." He smiled warmly.

"Hi." Sue weakly smiled back at her good friend.

"Well, you're slowly starting to look better, young lady." Mark said with satisfaction. "Your bruises are starting to lose some of their color."

"Thanks." Sue said but then her eyes went to Jack. Mark eyed Delores and tilted his head toward the hallway. She nodded and patted Sue's shoulder, turning her face toward her.

"If you need anything, honey, just give a yell." She stated. Sue nodded. Mark came to her.

"We'll give you two some time alone." He whispered. Sue smiled, a real smile, and signed _thank you_ to which Mark responded by signing _you're welcome._ Then he quietly walked out with Delores.

"For that sweetheart's sake more than the bureau's, I hope that boy pulls through." Delores remarked.

"Oh, so do I!" Mark agreed. "So do I."

* * *

Levi placed his front paws on the bed and nudged Jack's limp hand, just like he had with Sue so many times in the passed week. Jack didn't respond and the forlorn dog glanced mournfully at Sue who returned his sad gaze, then placed his head between his paws. Sue slowly, gingerly rose out of the wheelchair and sat on the edge of the bed. She passionately gripped Jack's hand. "You've got to get better, Jack. You just have to." She said dismally. "If you don't, who am I gonna have to keep me in line at the bullpen? Who will berate me with reason but then encourage me to do better because he understands me and sees my potential better than anyone else does?" Sue let silence reign for a few moments and tears came to her eyes. "Do you..." She sniffed. "Do you remember when I told you that my informant bench pressed 300 pounds in front of me? And then you attempted to do it too, with regrettable results?" Sue slightly chuckled, but the tears became even more adamant. "I acted casual, but...I meant what I said when I told you that some people think brains can be more attractive than muscles! And I meant it, Jack, when I said that I liked you just the way you are!"

"I'm sorry, Jack!" Sue sobbed. "I'm so sorry! I...I lied to you, all this time. I've...I've been so dishonest with everyone, especially myself, but you worst of all. I was wrong to try to convince myself otherwise. Please forgive me, Jack! Forgive me. I've tried to run away from it, pretend it wasn't real, I even teased you about it, but...I can't do that any longer. I...I..." Sue had to gulp hard several times before continuing as the tears streamed down her face and her heart pounded wildly as she opened her mouth again.

"I...I..." Sue signed into his hand as she spoke. **"I love you, Jack: I L-O-V-E Y-O-U J-A-C-K.** I love you, special agent Jack Hudson!" Sue cried in a loud whisper. "I love you. I have from the day you brought me into the bullpen. It showed me that you weren't patronizing me-like may people had before-when you wanted to explore my lip-reading skills. You were serious, you meant it, and though we've gotten into scrapes, a lot of them thanks to me, you've never treated me like I was inferior.

'You didn't just make me feel like a regular human being, you made me feel like a woman. I mean, cherished, cared for, protected... _wanted!_ My parents are wonderful people and they always cared for me, I've had the greatest friends in my whole life at the FBI. But...Jack, you are my best friend. Little things that others may not notice, _you_ notice and read. I feel like I do the same with you. David is a good friend, but...no man has ever done for me what you've done, _the way_ you do it in that silent yet obvious, deep way of yours.'"

Sue hung her head and tenderly placed her other delicate hand over his that she was still holding. "I never, ever thought before that a man would actually care for me the way you have." She whispered. "Jack, I don't know what's gonna happen down the road, and I don't know if and when you'll tell me your true feelings, but...if you truly want me, I mean: if you _truly want me,_ then I will be yours, Jack. Yours to stand by you, and cheer you on, and work alongside you, yours to be there if you need a listening ear to tell your troubles to. And I will do it gladly!" Sue inhaled deeply, feeling an incredible burden release from her heart. There, she'd done it! She confessed about deceiving herself and him in pretending she didn't care, _and_ most importantly, she'd expressed her heart's desire to love him unconditionally, for always! She didn't know how they would come out of this, but one thing she did know: she'd made her declaration, and no matter how things turned out for them, she'd be here for him, whether he survived or not!

Sue looked up at the ceiling. "God, I don't know if he can hear me," She prayed with tears, "but You can do anything. Please..." she gazed at the man she loved so much, aching to see him open those beautiful dark eyes of his and that wide, genuine smile. "Please, God! Please help him to hear me! If...even if..." She choked on the words. "Even if he doesn't make it out of this, please...please at least make it so that he heard what I just said, so...so he'll know! Please!" Then she felt a most welcoming, soft nudge under her arm. She looked down and there was Levi, her ever faithful companion who never gave up on her. She smiled and kissed his head then just stroked his mane as he sat with his head in her lap.

Sue lost track of the time as she gazed endlessly at Jack. Then suddenly, Levi rose his head high, as if on alert and Sue couldn't hear it but she could tell that he was barking. Her brows furrowed and she looked at Jack: he wasn't awake. Confused, she looked at the heart monitors. They were displaying dropping digits and an erratic heart-line that had been steady when she was brought in here. Sue quickly stood up despite the pain in her body. "Jack?!" She called. _"JACK?!"_ Levi was barking loudly and Sue ran out into the hall. "Help! Someone, please help!"

* * *

Bobby had only slept for a few hours at the most, but he opened his eyes and didn't recognize where he was. He glanced around worriedly then saw Norman Briggs enter. "Mr. Briggs." Bobby spoke.

"Special agent Manning. Just what are you doing in Dr. Sloan's office?" Norman asked gruffly.

"I'm in his office?" Bobby asked, confused. "Sorry. I didn't know." He stretched hard and clumsily stood up.

"I'd really like to know what you're doing here in the first place." Norman frowned. "We have a visitor's lounge just for this very thing."

Bobby scratched the back of his head and yawned. "Excuse me." He sighed. "Sorry, I must have dozed off. Still not sure how I got in here. Must have been sleep-walking."

"Well, if you have a hazardous habit of sleep-walking, might I suggest you see a doctor!" Norman huffed.

"Would ya mind showing me out? I'm not sure where to go from here."

"Be my pleasure." Norman pursed his lips and Bobby followed the short, stout man back into the hallway.

"Look, I'm sorry about that, mate." Bobby grinned. "I still don't know how I got in there." Norman shook his head and directed Bobby to the coffee dispenser. "Appreciate it, mate." He sipped the hot drink as Norman departed. "Blah!" Bobby winced and shook his head, trying to wake up.

"Hey, rise and shine!" An extremely perky voice piped up next to him, startling Bobby. He looked to see Jessie and Susan standing there.

"Watch it, mate!" He gasped. "You could give a guy a heart attack around here."

"Really?" Jessie raised his eyebrows.

"Agent Manning, you look exhausted." Susan stated.

"Ahh," Bobby waved it off. "I'm fine." He yawned again. "How's Jack?"

"The same." Jessie sighed. "I'm gonna check on him again in a while."

"Appreciate it." Bobby said with his eyes drooping. "I think I'll go..." He started to walk forward but staggered. Jessie and Susan each grabbed his arms.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jessie chuckled. "Whoa there, buddy."

"Why don't you get some rest?" Susan suggested. "We'll look after your friend." Bobby yawned widely.

"Why don't we take you to observation where you can sleep it off?" Jessie smiled. "You'll feel like a new man."

" _Dr. Travis to ICU! Dr. Travis to ICU, stat!"_ The intercom blurted out. _That got_ Bobby's attention! Jessie let go of the Aussie, leaving the tall, robust guy to Susan's care and he raced down the hall. Susan was stumbling as Bobby's stunned, limp form leaned on her shoulder.

"Look, uh..." Susan stammered. "Why don't you...go to the lounge? I need to help him." She shoved Bobby to stand upright then ran off. Bobby shook his head to snap out of it and took off after her.

* * *

Mark was doing his rounds and walked up to the nurses' station to give instructions to the nurse for two of his patients when Steve arrived. There was a large, dark-skinned man he didn't recognize behind his son. "Hi, Steve." Mark greeted.

"Hey," Steve nodded. "Dad, this Ted Garrett from the DC Bureau of Investigation. He's Jack and the team's task force supervisor." Mark raised his eyebrows.

"Mr. Garrett," Mark said nervously. "Good to meet you." He offered his hand and surprisingly, the intimidating guy took it.

"Garrett, this is my father, Dr. Mark Sloan, chief of internal medicine here at Community General." Steve explained.

"Dr. Sloan." Ted said. "How are my agents?"

"Most of them are holding up pretty well," Mark replied. "Lucy's resting right now, which is best for her."

"And Sue?"

"She's been through a lot, Mr. Garrett." Mark sighed. "But she's gonna be all right."

"Good." Ted grunted. "How is Jack?"

"The same, I'm afraid. But I assure you we're doing everything we can to help get him back on his feet." Mark said quickly.

"So Lt. Sloan told me." Ted said quietly.

"Why don't you come with me?" Mark suggested, heading for the lounge. "I know of some people who will be happy to see you."

"Sounds good." Ted nodded.

"So, Steve? What's the status on Jeffrey White?" Mark asked curiously.

"We extracted a full confession out of him." Steve muttered. "We had no trouble prying it out. He was more than happy to declare his dirty work to us."

"Really?" Mark raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Steve groaned. "He was mad at _us,_ because we caught him just before his biggest motion of revenge!"

"What about his partner?"

"Oh, yeah. No remorse." Steve nodded.

"Is that why you're here, Mr. Garrett?" Mark asked. "To extradite Jeffrey White?"

"Partly, yes." Ted replied. "We're transporting him back to DC then on to Detroit, his hometown and the city where he first started killing."

"I see."

"But I was also concerned about my agents after I was informed of the situation."

" _Dr. Travis to ICU! Dr. Travis to ICU, stat!"_ The intercom blurted overhead. Mark halted and Steve eyed him uneasily. Surely it was _another_ patient, a _different_ patient! It had to be. It couldn't be Jack.

"Excuse me!" Mark exclaimed wide-eyed and rushed toward ICU. Ted noticed Steve's worried face.

"Is it..." He began to ask.

"There are lots of patients in ICU." Steve said quickly. Yet, he couldn't shake off a worried feeling that it was Jack who was in trouble. "Uh, will you excuse me for a minute? The lounge is right over there." And before Ted could answer, Steve darted for the ICU.

* * *

Several nurses rushed into Jack's room and pulled Levi off the bed. "Page Dr. Travis!" One of them shouted. Sue stood in the background against the doorway wall, clasping her hands together and breathing heavily to calm herself. The nurses were all gathered around Jack's bed, and they lowered it till he was flat on his back. Sue bit her lip hard as tears spilled into it.

"Please, please, God..." She tried to pray. "Don't let him die! Please don't take him yet!" Jessie burst into the room and was instantly at the bed.

"What have you got?" Jessie asked. Susan burst in after him.

"Pulse is dropping, BP is..." One of the nurses answered.

"He's crashing!" Another yelled. Susan placed her fingers on Jack's neck.

"No pulse. He's in defib!" She exclaimed as the heart monitor showed flat-line. Another nurse handed Jessie the defibrillator paddles as another bared Jack's chest. Sue gulped hard and staggered out into the hall, wandering around with a petrified look on her face.

"200 jewels." Jessie said calmly but firmly. "Clear?"

"Clear." Susan said, covering Jack's face with an ambu bag. Jessie pumped the paddles and shocked Jack. The monitor still showed flat-line.

"Again. 300." Jessie ordered.

* * *

Bobby bumped into Sue and grabbed her arms. "Sue, what..." He tried to speak but Sue just gazed up at him fearfully. He rushed into Jack's room.

"Clear?" Jessie asked.

"Clear!" One of the nurses answered. Jessie pumped the paddles again and shocked Jack.

"He's back." Susan said. Bobby just stood in the doorway, watching in shock.

Mark raced passed Sue as he hurried to Jack's room, but Steve slowed down when he saw her. She was shivering and her eyes were squeezed shut. "Hey," Steve touched her shoulder, but Sue didn't open her eyes. He gripped her shoulders and turned her toward him. She opened her eyes and looked up at him helplessly. "Hey, what's going on?"

"J...Jack. He...he's..." Sue stumbled over her words. Steve glanced toward Jack's room and sighed heavily then looked back at Sue. "I don't know what to do." She whimpered. "He was fine, and...and then..." She tried futilely to hold down a sob. Steve stared at her sympathetically and let her lean her head on his shoulder. He felt a little awkward at first but then he just patted her arms. Then, realizing what she'd just done, she suddenly pulled back and tried wiping her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry...I..." She blubbered. "Sorry, I don't know what..."

"Don't worry about it." Steve patted her shoulder, but she didn't look at him so she didn't read his lips.

* * *

"Jessie?" Mark had panted when he'd gotten into the room. He noticed that the nurses were stabilizing Jack again.

"He went into cardiac arrest, Mark." Jessie stated, also panting. "But we got him back. His pulse is back to normal, BP is back up, and heart rate is regular." Mark sighed heavily in half relief and touched his young friend's shoulder.

"Good work, Jess." Mark still panted.

"Sure." Jessie smiled. Once Jack was stabilized, the nurses all shuffled out, but Mark and Jessie lingered. Then they noticed Bobby still standing in the room.

"W-what just happened?" Bobby stammered. Jessie came over to him.

"Why don't you sit down?" He offered.

"No thanks." Bobby shook his head, but he did come over to the bed. "Will he be all right, Mark?"

"I hope so, Bobby." Mark said fervently. "But that close call we just had isn't good for his heart condition right now."

"Good news is, his fever seems to have disappeared!" Jessie announced, trying to be cheerful.

"Yes! That's one good thing." Mark agreed as they all stared at the invalid. Mark gazed more intently at him to confirm or contradict if he'd been seeing things. It had been very subtle, maybe he'd just imagined it out of wishful thinking. But then, no! There it was! Jack was stirring! "Jess? Bobby!" Mark whispered loudly. They both followed his gaze and their jaws dropped. Jack was trying to stretch, but he grunted as the pain in his body prevented him.

" _Uugghhh..."_ Jack groaned quietly.

"It's good to have you back with us, Jack!" Mark stated cheerfully. Jack sighed heavily and very slowly opened his eyes. At first, his vision was blurry and he had to squint hard to focus, but gradually, he could make out three figures standing over him. He slowly recognized each one of them: Dr. Sloan, the kind, jolly old doctor; Jessie Travis, the young, sometimes overzealous, ER doctor; _and,_ his best friend in the whole world charming, faithful, shoot straight, but kind-hearted Bobby!

"W...w..." Jack tried to speak. "W-what are you all staring at?" He tried to joke, but his voice sounded really weak. "D-do I look that bad?" The three men laughed together.

"Naw. We're just glad to see ya, mate." Bobby smiled that winning grin of his, though his eyes were growing misty. Jack was back! He was really alive, speaking to him. Mark briefly walked out. He saw Steve coming toward him.

"Dad..." Steve began.

"Come in, Steve." Mark pulled him inside along with him. Steve's eyes widened when he came to the bed and saw Jack, alert and conscious. His shoulders sagged in relief.

"So, I guess you decided you weren't gonna let it lick you, huh?" Steve smiled at him. Jack grinned and shrugged.

"Mph." He grunted with a smile. "I guess not. Not with...not with a wild criminal to deliver back...back to the big boys."

"Good to see you haven't lost your voice." Jessie grinned.

"Heh, yeah." Jack responded in a raspy voice.

"So, how do you feel?" Mark asked.

"Ugh," Jack rolled his eyes. "Like someone tried to take me apart and put me back together, and failed miserably." The other guys all laughed.

"That about sums it up." Bobby remarked.

"W-where's Sue?" Jack asked, his eyes darting around the room.

"I'll get her." Bobby and Steve said at the same time, then glanced at each other with rolled eyes. "She's in the waiting room outside." Steve said. Bobby smiled.

"Thanks. Be right back, Jack. And don't you go anywhere!" He pointed directly at his best friend, half-joking and smiling but inwardly dead serious. Bobby couldn't wait to see the happy look on Sue's face once she saw Jack.

"Hey, I couldn't even if I wanted to." Jack grinned raising his head up, still in a quiet voice. "Don't be long." Jessie smiled then put his stethoscope in his ears to begin checking Jack over. Steve just stood there watching and smiling at Mark who returned the much relieved, very happy facial expression. It looked like Jack was going to pull through!

* * *

Bobby didn't find Sue in the waiting room as Steve had said and asked around at the nurses' stations as he searched for her. He checked back in her hospital room where Lucy was still dozing, but no sign of Sue or Levi. "Where could that girl have gotten to?" He asked himself. He was about to pass Delores on the way to the Main Entrance. "Hey, have you seen Sue?" He asked hopefully.

"Sorry, young man. But I haven't." Delores shook her head.

"Okay, thanks." Bobby sighed. "Oh, by the way, Jack's awake!"

"Well, praise be!" Delores smiled widely. "I'm happy for ya, sonny. This is gonna make Sue very happy."

"Yeah." Bobby agreed then continued his search. He had no idea where to look for his said friend, and he couldn't understand why, but something kept pressing him to go up to the hospital roof. "I don't think she'd go all the way up there, with her condition." He protested, but it was worth a try. He obeyed his prompt and as he opened the door to the outside, sure enough, there was Sue standing with her back to him, her arms folded and the wind blowing her long blonde hair. Levi was sitting next to her. Bobby heard sniffling and he knew Sue was crying. He slowly walked toward her. Levi touched her hospital gown with his paw and she looked down at him then she saw Bobby standing there. He smiled warmly and leaned against the railing.

Sue winced as the tears washed over her face with the wind caressing it. "I can't believe it." She finally spoke. "I...I just can't believe..."

"Sue," Bobby cut her off and came close. "Jack's alive. And he's awake now. He wants to see you."

"W...w-what?" Sue stared at him in disbelief. She couldn't have read his lips correctly. "What did you say?"

"Jack's all right, Sue. And I believe he'd like to see you." Bobby said. "Now, I'm not sure what kind of manners they taught you back in Ohio, but where I come from, when someone in a sickbed asks for your company, it's considered great rudeness not to honor their request. Ha, ha." He joked with that winning, cheesy smile that everyone couldn't resist. Sue smiled widely through her tears but cried even harder now. She stepped closer to Bobby, reaching for him and the two shared a strong, friendly hug. Sue sobbed in joy and exhaustion, and Bobby too shed a few tears. Jack was alive, and it meant more to the two friends than could ever be put into words! Levi stood on his hind legs and joined the embrace. Sue and Bobby both laughed as they smiled at their furry pal. "Come on" Bobby tilted his head toward the door, his arm still around Sue. She nodded and they walked together back down to the ICU.

* * *

"You're still not gonna be barging through a front door on any raid assignments any time soon." Jessie warned Jack. "But if you're a good boy, we should have you back on your feet sooner rather than later."

"Great," Jack muttered in mock aggravation. "Now I'm gonna be riding a bed instead of a desk while Garrett decides whether or not to suspend me for setting myself up as an unauthorized target."

"You're starting to sound as encouraging as Myles." Steve teased. Jack cringed.

"Oh, please, don't be cruel! I'm a sick man." He chuckled. "Sorry. To be honest..." he had to slow down in speech to catch his breath. "A little sack time doesn't sound so bad right now. I feel like a mess."

"Well, just hold onto to that feeling as long as you can, son." Mark smirked, patting Jack's shoulder. "If it keeps you in line, then hopefully we won't be stuck with another hard-headed patient... _for once."_ His eyes shifted to his son. Steve cleared his throat.

"Don't worry. I can't turn rebellious right now even if I tried." Jack said. "I simply...don't have the energy." He took a few deep breaths, trying to chase away the shortness in his breathing.

"Well, I think I'll go let your other friends know that you're awake and cocky." Steve said. "They'll be glad to hear it. They've been pretty worried about you."

"I'll go with you, Steve." Jessie said. "Now, you stay in that bed!" He eyed Jack firmly.

"Scout's honor." Jack smirked with his eyes closed and holding up his fingers.

"I'll see ya later, tough guy." Steve smiled at Jack. Jack nodded.

"You know, Jack, we almost lost you!" Mark told him seriously.

"How come...how come I already knew that?" Jack sleepily looked up at the kind, elderly doctor.

"I guess you're just that kind of person, very perceptive." Mark shrugged. "I...oh, I think someone's here to see you!" Jack glanced toward the doorway as Levi happily trotted in and raised his front paws on the bed. He cheerily panted and nudged Jack's arm. Jack smiled and pet his faithful dog friend.

"Hey, buddy. Where ya been?" Jack asked. Then there she was. Sue stepped inside with Bobby behind her. Jack suddenly felt very warm inside his body. He had an overwhelming feeling of inexpressible joy as he looked at her. Her bruises were healing, and she still had the bandage wrapped around her forehead, but her eyes were like he always remembered when he thought of her at night in his apartment, and her smile? It was like he was seeing it for the first time! "H-hey." He stammered, wishing and wanting badly to say something more intelligent, something more meaningful.

"Hi." Sue smiled and came to the bed. "It's good to see you back." She said.

"Good to be back." Jack grinned his dazzling smile, the one they'd all, the one _she'd_ missed so much and had wondered if they'd ever see again.

"Well, we'd better let you rest." Mark spoke up, enjoying the exchange between the two young people he admired immensely, but knowing they desired some privacy. "You've been through a lot, and need some relaxation."

"I think I'm gonna get plenty of relaxation." Jack answered slowly, not taking his eyes off of Sue.

"Well, Bobby, why don't I take you to get some breakfast? I don't think you're gonna be taking another nap any time soon." Mark chuckled.

"Well, now that you mention it," Bobby agreed, sensing the motive behind it, "I am pretty famished. You by any chance serve _BBQ Bob's_ at the cafeteria here?" He asked as they quietly shuffled out. He winked back at Jack who grinned in gratefulness.

"Ah," Mark scrunched up his nose, putting his arm around Bobby, "sorry. I'm afraid we don't. But if you suggest it to Jessie, I'm sure he'll start dreaming up a big franchise..." Mark glanced back at Sue who smiled warmly and signed _thank you._ But it wasn't needed. Her grateful face was thanks enough to Mark.

Then, she and Jack were alone! Uh, save Levi, that is. They two FBI agents just stared at each other, like old times when their eye contact seemed to be able to read each other's thoughts. Sue, for once without hesitation or feeling awkward, reached down and tenderly gripped Jack's hand. He strongly returned the clasp. The two just gazed at each other deeply and smiled. They didn't speak, there was no need for words. Jack was alive, Sue was alive, and they were together! Sue had so much she wanted to say, that she'd already said but the way Jack stared up at her and formed a smile, she didn't have to, it was as if...Jack _knew._ Levi just watched the two of them, and panted with a Golden 'smile'.

* * *

 **I'm planning for the next chapter to be extra long, so please bear with me as I try to get it ready for you guys! And what kind of bargain did Jack make with Delores, that he doesn't know he made? What could that possibly be?**

 **And, if you've watched the pilot episode of Sue Thomas FBEye and the Newlywed Game episode, you'll notice that with the timing I put in here from both episodes, that in here when Sue mentions which moment she fell in love with Jack, it was at 'third sight'! Ha, ha. Did anyone pick up on that? Because in the pilot episode, the day he introduced her to the team was the third time it shows them seeing each other. If I ever write any regular Sue Thomas FBEye fanfics, I plan to change that a little.**


	26. Chapter 26 Recovery

**Whew! Sorry it's taken me sooo long to get this chapter up! I knew many things of what I wanted in here but filling in the gaps and deciding where to put them to flow smoothly was difficult and tedious. Anyway, I hope the length makes up for your long wait! This will make references to STFBEYE episodes The Newlywed Game and The Hunter, and DM episodes Resurrection and Till Death Do Us Part.**

* * *

Lucy began to stir and stretched her groggy muscles. She felt very refreshed and after yawning hard, she sat up and slowly opened her eyes. Rubbing her neck, she looked over at the empty hospital bed. Sue was gone, and so was Levi! Lucy was normally a very cool, collected woman but with what she'd been put through the passed few days, she was still in survival mode when she noticed Sue absent without informing her of her whereabouts. The guilt and fear of not knowing where Sue was and feeling helpless in trying to protect her was still there and it hit Lucy like a bomb every time Sue was absent and Lucy didn't know where. She jumped to her feet and rushed out of the hospital room.

* * *

Steve and Jessie cheerfully walked together to the lounge. There, they found Myles, Dimitrius, Tara, and Ted Garrett gathered. They all stood when Steve and Jessie entered. "Dr. Travis?" Dimitrius asked.

"Please, call me Jessie." Jessie smiled.

" _Jessie,_ how is Jack?" He persisted.

"Well, you'll all be happy to know that it looks like Jack is going to make it through this after all!" Jessie beamed with his hands in his lab coat pockets.

"Do you really think so?" Myles inquired. "In your professional opinion?"

"Well, he's still very weak and vulnerable, and we'll still have to monitor him very closely," Jessie said seriously. "But he's awake now and he's holding steady. I really think he's gonna be okay!" Everyone smiled in indescribable relief.

"Thank God." Tara sighed. "And thank you for all you've done, doct...I mean Jessie."

"Hey, it's no big deal." Jessie shrugged. "It's my job. That's what I'm here for."

"Uh-huh, and who's gonna pay for this fancy hospital stay, I'd like to know?" Myles asked sarcastically. Inwardly, he'd been very worried about his friend Jack, but he had to loosen up some how and this was the best way Myles Leland knew how to do it.

"I believe that's for _me_ to worry about." Ted spoke up. "And if you''re worried about being paid, doctor..."

"Don't worry about it." Jessie waved him off. "You can take that up with Norman Briggs, the hospital administrator."

"When can we see Jack?" Tara asked eagerly.

"Uh, he's a little preoccupied at the moment." Steve said, clearing his throat.

"Let us check on him again and then come back and get you." Jessie piped up, understanding what Steve was referring to.

"Okay." Dimitrius agreed. "Thanks."

"Sure. We just wanted to let you know. We know you've been worried about him." He and Steve walked out.

"It's a miracle." Tara glowed.

"I personally couldn't think of a more outstanding way to impress these daily sun-bathers and show them what we East coasters are made of." Myles chimed in. Everybody rolled their eyes.

* * *

"Honey, just calm down." Delores said softly. Steve and Jessie saw that she was trying calm Lucy who looked frantic. The two men walked up to them.

"Lucy, are you all right?" Jessie asked with furrowed brows.

"I'm okay, I just want to know...where is Sue?!" Lucy blurted out with an edge in her voice.

"Easy, Sweetie." Delores shushed her. "She's up in ICU. Her boyfriend regained consciousness and we thought we'd give the two a little privacy." Lucy rolled her eyes, feeling so stupid for overreacting like a Mother Hen. It was not like her at all.

"Jack's awake, and he's okay?"

"So far." Steve nodded. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"Lucy, are you sure you're all right?" Jessie persisted.

"I'm fine. Thanks." Lucy muttered.

"You don't look fine." Steve commented, earning him a dirty look from the vibrant, no-nonsense lady.

"Well, I am!" She snapped. "I just wanted to know where Sue was and that's she's okay. That's all." She hung her head and sighed heavily. "Sorry. I...I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I think I do." Jessie said.

"When can I see Sue, and Jack?" Lucy asked.

"Pretty soon." Jessie responded. "Delores, why don't you take Lucy to the lounge where her friends are?"

"Sure thing, doctor. Come on, honey." Delores smiled, putting her arm around Lucy.

"Oh, and uh, D?" Jessie whispered to the nurse. "Give her something to calm her nerves." Delores nodded and walked down the hall with Lucy.

"You think she's okay, Jess?" Steve asked.

"Steve, she was only rescued just yesterday. Her mind and body are still in defensive mode." Jessie explained. "It might take a while for her to recover from this whole mess."

"You think she _will_ recover?"

"Everyone reacts differently to trauma." Jessie shrugged. "But I think she will definitely make it. From what I've seen and heard with that woman, she's not one to let herself be held down long! I'm actually glad she's not really a patient!"

"Yeah." Steve agreed. "So, you think Jack's really gonna be okay?"

"I do!" Jessie smiled.

* * *

Mark purchased Bobby's breakfast and the two sat down together at a table. "Hey, thanks for the food, Doc Sloan." Bobby said as he bit into his food.

"Oh, my pleasure, Bobby." Mark smiled warmly.

"You always this nice to the officers who help your son in his work? I mean, you've been beyond generous to all of us, Mark. You've been incredibly hospitable. How can we ever return the favor? I'm afraid you're gonna be eating out of my hand for the rest of my life."

Mark laughed. "I try to be this nice to lots of people." He explained. "I hope you don't think I've tried to be gracious so that you'll pull strings for me at the bureau or anything! I was just trying to be friendly, that's all."

"Aack. Don't worry about it, Doc." Bobby shook his head. "Hey, you ever consider giving up your job here and working for the FBI? With your remarkable skills at deduction, I guarantee you'd get plenty of recommendations!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" Mark laughed heartily. "Sorry, but that's just not for me. I already have a job here. Besides, I really like what I do. Now, if you ever considered recommending _Steve_ for the job, that would be something!"

"Eh." Bobby nodded. "So, tell me. How long have you worked here at the hospital?"

"Ooo. Let's see. Over forty years." Mark replied.

"Whew!" Bobby whistled. "And here you are, still helping the sick and needy."

"You know, sometimes with people, it isn't a physical sickness they have that needs healing."

"Right." Bobby sighed. "You ever consider retirement?"

"I did, but I have too much fun here. Besides, what would I do once I was finished practicing medicine?"

"You could always earn a living as an officially licensed detective!" Bobby grinned widely.

"Maybe." Mark shrugged. "But I just can't seem to pry myself away from this place. It's my life."

"You know? For a father and son who have such different jobs, you two seem to work together amazingly well." Bobby remarked. Mark smiled wryly. That was not the first time he'd heard that, and it seemed to have made an impression on other people besides Jessie.

"Thanks." Mark responded.

"Hey, I mean that." Bobby said seriously. "Most fathers or sons I've known have resented the other's choice of profession."

"Yes. That's such a shame."

"So what's your secret, Mark? How do you do it?"

"I...I don't know, Bobby." Mark shrugged. "I guess...I guess Steve's mom did a good job raising him. And I tried to be there for him. But I'm far from ever being appointed Father of the Year."

"Aw, I don't know. He seems to enjoy your company."

"Well, he didn't always want me involved in police investigations. I kind of had to warm him up to the idea."

"Mmm." Bobby grunted, eating some more food. "Do you mind telling me...ahem... _how_ did you come to helping your son solve so many cases?"

"Ohhh," Mark raised his eyebrows. "That's a long story, I'm afraid."

* * *

When Delores brought Lucy into the lounge, Lucy halted stock still and her jaw dropped when she saw Ted Garret her supervisor. "Hey, Luce. How you feeling?" Dimitrius asked.

"Huh?" She gaped. "Ted, what are _you_ doing here?"

"To pick up a lethal package." He answered smiling, referring to Jeffrey White. "And to make sure my agents were doing their jobs instead of wasting time chasing down movie stars." Everyone laughed.

"Now _really."_ Lucy protested. "My name may be Lucy, but I'm not _that_ Lucy! Has anyone seen Jack yet?"

"No. But they'll come get us when he can have visitors." Ted answered. Lucy smirked, thinking of the special visitor that Jack _did_ currently have right now. Steve stepped inside behind them and Mark appeared too with Bobby.

"So, Steve." Tara spoke up. "Why don't you bring us all up to date on what's the case with Jeffrey White."

"We got a full confession." Steve stated. "He didn't deny anything. Oh, and we found out why today's date was so important to him."

"What's that?" Mark asked.

"Turns out that tonight he was planning to skip town, with Howard Lance." Steve explained. "The idea was to light up the funeral home and let it burn to the ground tonight."

"With Sue and Lucy in it." Myles practically whispered.

"Right. He said that he wanted to see Charlotte's name light up in flames in the night sky."

"How romantic." Myles muttered. "Even I think, a little drastic for a spurned ex-lover. Very colorful."

"Not my taste." Dimitrius said.

"So, it's a miracle that we found Sue and Lucy when we did, and got them out of there!" Bobby exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"I'll say it was!" Lucy blurted out. "I'm not about to let some lunatic use me for a piece of kindling. But unfortunately for him, I was bound and wasn't given a chance to show off my karate chop." The guys all exchanged slightly amused but worrisome glances.

"What about Howard Lance?" Mark asked. "Why did Jeffrey kill him?"

"When the team moved in, Lance saw them from inside the funeral home," Ted responded. "He panicked and told White they should give themselves up. White became furious at the turn of events and figured Lance was disposable. So he killed him."

"Figuring as he shoved him out the door that everyone would naturally assume he was gunned down by the snipers." Tara said.

"Exactly." Steve agreed. "Soon as he rid himself of Lance, he headed downstairs to finish Sue off. But, as fate would have it, Jack surprised him from behind and stopped him! And..."

"And, that's when White attacked Jack." Myles, Ted, Mark, and Lucy all said together.

"As soon as she's up to it, we still need Sue's testimony." Steve remarked. "Dad, how soon do you think we can talk to her?"

"Maybe by tomorrow." Mark suggested. "She's been through a lot of terrible experiences the passed forty-eight hours. I'd like to give her at least another twenty-four so she can collect herself enough to give her statement."

"If you say so."

* * *

The team was able to visit Jack half an hour later. He still looked quite sickly, but he was alert and smiling. Jack was astounded to see his supervisor, yet it humbled him to see how much Ted did actually care about his team. This time, if anybody made wise-cracks about Jack and Sue, this time the two of them ignored it and just smiled at each other. Jessie soon returned and said that Jack needed rest. Only Sue and Levi remained. Lucy lingered at the door, gazing warmly and with great satisfaction at her favorite couple. Looked like things were finally starting to move forward! "Certainly took you two long enough." Lucy whispered happily.

* * *

Dimitrius, Ted, Steve, and Myles went to the police station to make arrangements with Captain Newman and Chief Masters about Jeffrey White. Lucy was restless. She couldn't sit still for an extended period of time, and was quite tense. If she didn't know where Sue was, she became short and snappy. She perked up when at mid-afternoon Jessie said that he had to leave the hospital to perform his shift at _BBQ Bob's._ She asked if he needed an extra hand and offered her services. Jessie was more than glad for the extra help. Mark, Delores, and Tara remained at the hospital to look after Sue and Jack, who definitely looked like they were well on the road to recovery...together!

"Hey, how am I doing?" Lucy asked Jessie after she handed him the latest orders.

"Great!" Jessie cheered. "I hate to say this about the lack of colorful design in my restaurant , but you sort of dress the place up."

"Mph. It doesn't look too shabby to me." Lucy scrunched up her nose.

"Nah," Jessie shrugged. "But you really do add some class to the place."

"So, you mind telling me, what in the world made you and Steve decide to run a BBQ business?" Lucy asked with furrowed brows.

"Well, I've always wanted to do it." Jessie answered. "And it was something Steve was interested in. Besides, after the bombing at Community General almost two years ago, we said that we would do what we wanted."

"What?!" Lucy gasped. "Community General was bombed?!"

"Have you ever heard of Carter Sweeney? Of the Sweeney bombings?"

"Sweeney..." Lucy concentrated. "Wait, wait, wait! Wait a minute! Isn't he the guy who was using his grandfather's name as a map pattern for his bombing targets?!"

"You've got the right guy." Jessie nodded with wide eyes.

"And it was _your_ hospital that was bombed?"

"Uh-huh. Only it was Sweeney's sister who did that one."

"You know, we'd heard about that," Lucy remarked, "but we just didn't put it together of where we were actually coming when we were assigned to come here! But I still don't see what that has to do with BBQ."

"Well, you may not know this," Jessie said seriously, "but we're all survivors from that blast! Mark, Steve, Amanda, Susan, me, we were all caught in it. Steve and I ended up together in the rubble and slowly managed our way out. But we said then that if we got out of the mess alive, we would go after our dreams and all the big things we had planned to do with our lives."

"I see." Lucy smirked. "Wow. You know, you really should have a frame up on the wall somewhere here telling that story. I think it would make this more of a monumental landmark in this fine city."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" Jessie's eyes lit up.

"But, isn't it difficult, and wearing on you?" Lucy asked. "I mean, you being an ER doctor with all those crazy shifts, and with Steve being a cop? Plus running a BBQ business at the same time?"

"You have no idea!" Jessie exclaimed. "Yes, sometimes we wonder why we ever agreed to do this, but at the same time, we love this place. We just couldn't let it go after the original owner decided to pull up stakes and just give it up! I happen to love BBQ, and I'm telling you that _BBQ Bob's_ is the best around-not to brag-, and I wasn't going to let it die out!"

"That would make a good slogan for ya: New to town? Come on eat the best BBQ around!" Jessie beamed and actually kissed Lucy on the cheek. She cheerfully gaped.

"Lucy, I love you!" Jessie announced. "You're a genius! Hey, before you go back to DC would you consider being a co-owner of this place? You want to?"

"Oh, thanks but I don't think so, pal." Lucy laughed.

"Why not?" Jessie persisted. "You just came up with all these great ideas, and with a promoter like you, how can we ever go out of business? Come on, what have you got to lose?"

"And what exactly is in it for me, I'd like to know?"

"A stupendous investment. Just think about it. All the new inspirations you could send us from DC, you could brag to those big society rich people that you own a restaurant, and your sweet face could be posted all over, advertising but also getting credit where credit's do. What do you say?"

"That's an incredible offer, doctor. But I think not." Lucy smiled. Jessie pouted.

"Darn." He muttered. "Well, in honor of your assistance to us, I'm gonna whip up and dedicate a brand new dish here personally to you!"

"I guess I could live with that." Lucy grinned. "But it would probably go bad before it reached my apartment in LA."

"No, no, no." Jessie shook his head. "That's not what I was talking about!"

* * *

After Sue's testimony, and several reviews over the case and the report, Myles and Dimitrius flew back to DC with Ted, escorting Jeffrey White to his reward. From there on, they took him to Detroit. After that, Ted gave his agents a week off of work after all that had happened. He said that if anything critical came up, he'd send for them to return, except Jack who needed lots of rest. Dimitrius picked up Donna and brought her back to Los Angeles with him. So, the whole team eagerly anticipated some fun relaxation in the Sunny State.

"So, I take it you've known the Sloans for a long time?" Bobby asked Jessie one day when he was eating during Jessie's shift at BBQ Bob's.

"Yep, sure have." Jessie grinned.

"You sure you and Steve aren't related?" Bobby squinted curiously at him. "Because you two sure act like you could be brothers!"

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"A compliment, unless you have a problem with that picture." Bobby said.

"Well, no. We're not related, but I sure often feel as if we were!" Jessie explained.

"I'm not trying to pry, but what does your dad do?" Bobby asked. "He a medicine man too?"

"No way!" Jessie shook his head. "Well, my mom is. She's a podiatrist and has a private practice back in Minnesota. She's always trying to convince me to come back there. But I'm happy here.

'My dad? Well, he's got a high-profile job. He's a CIA analyst.'"

Bobby raised his eyebrows. "Whoa. I never would've guessed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jessie frowned.

"Nothing. Just that you seem to have the perfect touch for medicine. I would've expected you to learn it from someone older."

"Oh, but I have!" Jessie's eyes lit up. " _Mark_ is the one who taught me that. He's still like a father to me, but my dad now works here in LA so we can see each other more. You see, when I was a kid, my parents got divorced and I lived with my mom. My dad had a new family, and I hardly ever heard from him except on my birthday." Bobby's eyes shifted down to his plate and he bit his lip. Maybe Jessie's dad only talked to him once a year, but still, that was more than Bobby's dad Mac had ever done in Bobby's childhood! "But a few years ago, he came here to see me," Jessie continued, "and I accidentally got dragged into his work. I found out that he never did have another family, he'd only used that to explain his long absences to me."

"I see." Bobby sighed. "Probably would've been too dangerous for all of you if he'd explained what he was really doing."

"Right." Jessie nodded. "That's why he lied to me." Then he gazed thoughtfully at Bobby, who seemed deep in thought. "You okay?" He asked.

"Sure." Bobby said quietly.

"What about...how about... _you_ dad?" Jessie asked cautiously, wondering if he was being too nosy.

"His...his line of work keeps him away a lot too." Bobby mumbled.

"Mph." Jessie grunted. He wasn't sure if he should prod more to help the Aussie get the burden off his mind, or if he should just step back. "Sounds like you have struggles with it." He finally said. "But, hey, that happens to lots of guys, even if their dad has a normal job." Bobby looked up at him and smiled.

"You know, that's true." Bobby grinned. "I didn't know much about my dad while I was growing up. At least your dad wished you a happy birthday. That's more than Mac did for me!"

"If you don't feel like talking about it, we can just drop it." Jessie said, feeling he'd overstepped his boundaries.

"Nah, it's okay. It's just that...from my sixth birthday party until the past seven years, I never knew if Mac was ever alive, or what he was up to."

"Did you ever find out?"

"Sure did." Bobby cleared his throat. "And he's alive." Jessie figured that Bobby didn't want to mention what line of work his dad was in, so he didn't bother to ask.

"You guys talk at all?" He prodded further.

"Yeah, we talk now. Things between us are better than they used to be. But, it's still not..."

"Not completely healed yet, huh?" Jessie finished.

"You got it." Bobby said. Jessie began to feel a sudden new respect and admiration for his own dad Dane, and that he wasn't a repulsive person, that he and Dane had tried to smooth out the edges, and that Dane's job wasn't something Jessie was ashamed of.

"I'm sorry." Jessie stated. "That's tough on a guy." Bobby nodded in total agreement.

"Yeah, well..." He shrugged. "These ribs are stupendous."

* * *

It had been a week since the capture of Jeffrey White, and Jack was released from the hospital, due to his remarkable convalescence-with the load of Jeffrey White off his mind and all the great care he got at Community General and from his friends-though he was still weak and easily tired, and would need assisted care for a bit till he was no longer in danger of a relapse. Right now on this day, Jack and Sue were both lounging comfortably on the patio chairs at the Sloan's home, enjoying the breeze and soaking in the amazing view of the ocean, a scene they didn't get to see very often. Mark had invited Jack to stay at the beach house while recuperating from his heroic injuries, before the team headed back home to D.C. Levi was lying on the deck close to Sue. She was watching the competitive silhouettes of Bobby, Myles, Steve, and Jessie scrambling around the sand with surfboards. She was using binoculars and giggled as she read their lips. Jack didn't even notice his buddies, old and new, down on the beach. He was gazing thoughtfully at Sue. Her face was healing nicely, and the wind was blowing her long blonde hair in a beautiful way that Jack couldn't remember ever seeing before. He was so happy to just be near her again, and be able to look at her with adoration. He didn't realize how obviously wryly he was smiling 'til a voice broke into his thoughts. "Anyone up for some cool lemonade?" Mark asked cheerfully, as he appeared with a tray of glasses. Jack frowned: his daydream had been entirely too short-lived.

"Sure, thanks." Jack tried to say politely. Mark set the tray on the table and Jack tried to lean forward and reach for one, but the still lingering soreness in his chest reprimanded him. "Aarrghh." He grunted, wincing. Mark touched his shoulder and gently pushed him back down in his seat.

"No, no. You just lie back, son, and take it easy." Mark shook his head. "I'll get it for you." He handed Jack his drink. Jack gratefully sipped it.

"Thanks." He sighed. Mark grinned at the melancholy young man.

"I know." He said. "It isn't easy being a convalescent, is it?"

"Pfft." Jack grinned and shook his head. "It's so boring. There's absolutely nothing to do except enjoy the view, and wonder which passerby is a suspect and who's normal." Mark chuckled.

"Well, I'll give you this much. You're a much better patient than Steve!"

"Is that good or bad?" Jack asked.

"Oh, believe me! That's a good thing." Mark nodded wide-eyed. Sue chuckled and shook her head as she continued to eavesdrop on the conversation down on the beach. Mark stepped next to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Oh, Mark, hello." She smiled sweetly.

"Anything interesting going on down there?" Mark asked.

"You have no idea." Sue snickered.

"Care to share?" Mark asked. Sue lifted her field glasses back up.

"Dr. Travis-er, Jessie-is telling Myles that he needs to practice good balance before heading out on the water." Sue explained. "Myles is arguing that anyone nominated for media liaison doesn't need tips in proper stance for the sport world. He's insisting on trying out the water right now."

"Ooo. Bad idea." Mark smirked.

"Jessie's trying to stop him." Sue shrugged. "So, Mark? I take it you all found a plan for your fundraiser event?" Mark stared at her quizzically. "Sorry, I...I saw you talking to Delores a few days ago. Didn't mean to, just couldn't help it." Mark laughed.

"Yes, I'm happy to say we have." He nodded. "We were at a loss for creativity in trying to form an event that would insure the money we need for the hospital's children's ward. But Delores said that thanks to some inside information, we'll be pulling off a real door buster! And Norman is just all hyped up about it."

"I take it, that's good." Sue quipped.

"For Norman? Mph...yeah." Mark scrunched up his nose. Delores, Lucy, and Amanda came out to join them on the deck. Dimitrius and Donna were out taking Tara souvenir shopping.

"So, how are our two patients doing?" Delores asked, touching Jack and Sue on their shoulders.

"Good." Sue grinned. "This view and setting is very therapeutic."

"And how about you, sugar?" Delores looked down at Jack. He pursed his lips and fiddled his face with his fingers. "What does that mean?" Delores asked with her hands on her hips.

"It means I'm bored out of my mind." Jack muttered.

"Yeah, well, I don't wanna find you coming back in my cross-hairs by being rolled into that hospital." Delores shook her finger at him. "You do, and I'll see to it that you want get well again _real fast!"_

"Okay." Jack snickered, raising his hands up defensively in mock fear.

Lucy was smiling widely with her eyes shut and lifting her head in the ocean breeze. "Mmm. This is a piece of paradise I don't know if I'll feel again." She murmured. "I just want to soak in every minute of it!"

"Yes, thank you so much for inviting us." Sue said. There were grunts and groans, and heavy footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Mark, Jack, Sue, Amanda, Lucy, Levi, and Delores all gaped as Bobby trudged onto the deck with his arm wrapped around Myles' waist and Myles' other arm slung over Bobby's shoulder, then Steve followed in tow with his hands gripping Jessie's arms. Jessie and Myles were both grimacing and covering their faces.

"What happened down there?" Amanda asked, trying not to laugh at how pitiful they both looked.

"What, did you guys challenge each other to a knuckle duel or something?" Lucy grinned.

"What happened?" Sue asked in surprise. Jack could tell by the smirks on Bobby's and Steve's faces that he'd missed out on some friendly teasing fun.

"It seems Dr. Travis was in the midst of trying to show Myles the proper balance on the surf beam and, while picking it up to try it himself, without checking his sense of aim, he managed to whack the poor little yobbo in the face." Bobby explained with a snicker. "A real slam dunk."

"Oh no." Sue stated.

"Ohhh," Mark cringed and smiled sympathetically. "Jessie, are you okay?" The young doctor just grimaced pitifully.

"But how did Myles come to get the same injury?" Amanda asked.

"Did Dr. Travis decide to get even?" Delores teased.

"I hope!" Lucy and Jack exclaimed at the same time.

"It was my fault." Steve confessed. "See, I dropped my board so I could help Jessie, and...well, I didn't look where I was setting it down...and..." The listeners all laughed.

" _WHAM!_ Smack dab in center." Bobby finished with a toothy smile.

"In the more civilized communities of this great land, I believe they have medical personnel to attend such ridiculously inflicted injuries last time I checked." Myles spoke up, trying to change the subject.

"Well, come on, boys. Bring them inside and we'll tend to their hurts." Delores laughed heartily as Bobby and Steve hauled the invalids inside the beach house while everyone else laughed together out on the patio.

"You see?" Jack spoke up. "That's why I hate being ridden to a bed. I miss out on all the fun stuff."

"Well, you'll be getting a taste of some very _fun stuff_ later on." Amanda smirked, glancing from Mark to Lucy who returned her evil grin.

"Now _what's that_ supposed to mean?" Jack and Sue both asked.

"Oh, you'll find out." Lucy smiled smugly. "I'm going for a walk. Levi, you wanna come with me?" Sue gave her dog permission and he trotted after Lucy to take a stroll down near the water. Amanda stood there with her arms crossed, staring at the convalescing couple.

" _What?"_ Jack asked with an edge in his voice.

"You two really do make an adorable couple." Amanda chuckled. Then she laughed heartily as she went inside. Jack and Sue shyly grinned at each other.

"I wonder...what she meant by fun stuff." Sue cleared her throat.

"I'm getting a sickening feeling in my stomach that it means I'm about to undergo some kind of unavoidable poking and prodding." Jack moaned pitifully. "And I don't mean the medical kind."

"Sounds frightening." Sue quipped. Jack smiled weakly, and exhaled heavily, holding his chest.

"Whoa! Jack, you okay, man?" Steve asked worriedly as he appeared, touching Jack's shoulder. "You need me to get Dad?" Jack stared up at him pathetically and in disbelief.

"I don't believe this." He groaned. "No, I'm fine. It's just my ribs are still being a little inconsiderate when I want to enjoy myself."

"You sure?" Steve inquired firmly. "No lightheadedness or chest pain?"

"No, no, no, no." Jack waved him off. "I'm fine. Trust me." Then he closed his eyes and grimaced. "Ohh. I _hate_ being an invalid!"

"I feel ya, pal." Steve smiled sympathetically.

"Are Myles and Jessie okay?" Sue broke into his thoughts.

"Sure, they'll live." Steve shook his head.

"You sure you didn't hit Myles on purpose?" Sue joked.

"I'm not gonna lie, it's been a temptation." Steve smirked. "But I'm not that low. Hey, where's Levi? Delores has some bacon strips for him."

"She's spoiling him." Sue stated. "He's with Lucy down there. I think she's slowly getting better. She's not as edgy as she was."

"That's good to hear." Steve gulped. "Look, no offense, but...she's not exactly the easiest woman to get along with when she's been ticked. Too much like Amanda, and that's saying a lot!"

* * *

"So, what's been your guys' most _interesting_ case this year so far?" Myles asked at another time.

Mark giggled. "The Garret Wedding Murder." He snickered. Jessie snorted.

"Did you say a _wedding murder?"_ Sue inquired. Lucy nodded.

"What kind of person uses a wedding as a coverup for murder?" Tara furrowed her brows. "That's just...a downright shameful." Steve shook his head, grinning. "And what a cheat, to the family and the guests!"

"Ohhh, this bride and groom planned the whole thing brilliantly." Mark explained.

"Let me guess, they were after her dad's money." Myles muttered.

"You've got it." Jessie said.

"Cindy Garret and her fiance Philip Cobler planned an extraordinary murder." Amanda said. "They had it all figured out on how to kill Cindy's father Wayde during the wedding reception and frame her stepmother Denise for the murder. The idea was to gradually kill Wayde by giving him a depressant and combining it with the red wine he drank and cheese croissants he ate. It was an intelligent plot."

"But, how did you guys figure it out?" Lucy asked.

"Well, throughout the entire wedding, every move they'd highly anticipated backfired." Mark chuckled, remembering. Steve bit his lip and snorted as he recalled the details. "Wayde was an asthmatic, and the drug he was given along with all the cheese and red wine as Amanda said, killed him."

"But you said everything backfired." Myles interjected.

"It was one of those well-planned murders where everything went wrong but the victim still died." Mark said. "Denise had struggled with depression before, so Cindy and Philip made it look like she issued a library book on pharmaceutical drug interactions, and even took a petal from her corsage to leave in the living room so we would think she'd rushed in there when she poured the depressant into Wayde's drink."

"But, several things went wrong." Steve smirked with his arms crossed. "Phil cut himself on Denise's corsage, and when we came to investigate at the house, the maid had vacuumed up the petal they'd planted." Lucy and the others giggled. "Then in the midst of pouring the drug into his drink, Phil accidentally spilled it onto the rug, and Morgan the dog drank it up, which caused him to be extremely hyperactive, especially during the outside wedding ceremony!"

"No way!" Jack laughed.

"Oh boy." Bobby grinned a toothy smile.

"Steve did arrest Denise, but Mark figured it out." Jessie said. "You should've seen the looks on their faces every time they thought he was onto them or when he and Steve staked them out."

"Yeah, those two were dragged down to the jail like two cats in a bag." Steve said with satisfaction.

"So, a magnificent strategy attack, maneuvered carefully with the strongest desire fully issued but the unanticipated falling out bringing the soaring hopes crashing down tremendously." Myles said dramatically, much to everybody's exchanged rolled eyes. "Ohh, a disheartening reminder that young love will never be the same as it was before in this great, progressive day and age."

"Eh...yeah, well..." Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Well, speaking of young love...FYI, in case you all didn't know, Jack and Sue are married." Amanda's, Jessie's, Steve's, and Mark's jaws all hit the floor.

"They are?" Mark sputtered.

"Hey, that's great!" Jessie cheered. "Why didn't you tell us? I think it's pretty neat."

"I knew it!" Amanda cheered.

"Jack, you have nothing to be ashamed of." Steve said. Jack winced tightly and threw his head back in frustration.

"We're...we're not married!" He announced.

"Uh-huh. A likely story." Amanda grinned.

"It's true." Jack glared at her, but she ignored his cold stare.

"It...it was an undercover assignment!" Sue blurted out. Steve and Mark smiled at her skeptically. "We...we were trying to stop a terrorist. It was the only way we could effectively get close to him without tipping him off!"

"That is a pretty amazing story, Thomas." Steve squinted, pretending to be impressed. Sue glared at him. "But there's no reason to pretend your husband is a neat guy just to keep up appearances."

"I'm not...he's not.." Sue stumbled over her words. "I'm not keeping up pretending! I mean, he's not a neat husband. NO! I...I mean..." Sue shook her head wildly. Steve's jesting comment had jangled her mind up so crazily that she couldn't talk right. Jack pouted with his eyes closed, shaking his head.

 _Where's my gun when I need it?_ He thought painfully. _Sloan, you just asked for an invitation to have it out!_

"They certainly convinced the neighbors they were married." Bobby teased.

"Would've convinced me, hands down." Amanda giggled.

"Yeah, me too!" Jessie exclaimed.

"And according to a reliable source," Bobby continued, "Jack's career as an ex-bachelor can make any woman's life a living nightmare."

" _Anybody...else...want...more...chips?"_ Jack seethed, desperately trying to change the subject.

"He stooped so low as to the point of where they had to share a hair-dryer in the same house." Bobby continued.

"Just shows you how much he likes to control the finances." Myles added. "His wife can't even have her own hair products. Ohhh!" He pretended to cringe. "I can't tell you how happy I am to be man right now instead of a married Hudson woman!"

Jack's face was growing hotter. Sue just shook head head and rolled her eyes, but Mark studied Jack and decided to come to his rescue. "Can I get you something, Jack? You look a bit flushed. Some more iced tea maybe?" He offered.

"A loaded 45-millimeter would be more inviting _right now."_ Jack growled.

"Guys, let up, will you?" Mark suggested. "After all, Jack needs rest."

"So, would you guys be able to tell us, what's the dumbest case you've ever had to work on?" Steve asked curiously.

"Do you mean case, or _audit?"_ Lucy retorted. "There's a mile long difference there, you know." Jack's eyes nearly popped out in agreement.

"You see, some of them started out as audits, but they became an 'unofficial' official case because of how ridiculous they were." Tara said with a smile.

"Sorry, but I don't think you can have something unofficially official." Jessie said.

"So, what is the most unmerited, unheard of, wildest one that any of you guys have ever had?" Mark asked curiously. Bobby was smirking.

"Aw, I think we can all agree on what _that_ one was!" He grinned widely and all his friends' eyes fell on Jack, who was wincing with embarrassment and smiling nervously.

"Oh, no. Please!" He covered his face, shaking his head. Bobby and Myles both placed their hands on his shoulders and Jack's face went red.

"Was it that funny?" Amanda asked eagerly.

"No, it was _that_ stupid!" Dimitrius answered.

"You see, Jack's most traumatizing experience ever on the job was the Chicken Lady case." Sue stated, crossing her arms.

"The...Chicken Lady?" Jessie and Steve asked together.

"Oh, _yes._ Poor Sparky here had many sleepless nights after because of everything she put him through." Myles answered in mock sympathy. "Oh, it was heart-wrenching."

"You don't have to overdue it." Lucy cringed at Myles.

" _Bock, bock, bock, bock, bock,"_ Bobby chirped, obviously enjoying himself. Jack was smiling, but his eyes were fixated in a threatening message.

"It all happened a few years ago when Sparky was chasing a suspect." Bobby began.

"And Jack, super agent that he is, decides to leap over in a single bound." Dimitrius said.

"Clearing the fence beautifully 'til gravity had its effect." Myles added.

"You see, the woman who owned the yard kept chickens." Bobby said.

"Oh, no." Mark laughed, seeing where this was going.

"And Jack... _kaa-errr!"_ Bobbyhopped in the air as he explained his point. "Landed on top of the prize rooster." Jack squeezed his eyes shut tight.

"Ohhh." Amanda grinned.

"Which admitted its final cock-a-doodle-do, but didn't survive." Tara said dramatically.

"Then the owner, Beatrice Lawrence sued Jack for damages." Dimitrius said.

"Why couldn't you just buy her a new rooster?" Jessie suggested.

"Aw, believe me! He tried that." Sue made a face.

"The rooster in question was a real ladies' man." Bobby smiled widely. "The old roost just hadn't been the same ever since."

"Leaving traumatizing effects on the owner, _and_ the chickens," Myles said theatrically, "causing _pain, de_ _spair_ _, and suffering."_

"I cannot be hearing this." Steve rolled his eyes and crossing his arms. "Like you feds have time for some frivolous lawsuit."

"Thank you. Those were my thoughts exactly!" Jack's eyes lit up, grateful for some sympathy.

"And his exact words, if my memory serves me correctly." Tara spoke up, looking to Sue and Lucy. Bobby, however, frowned at Steve.

"Aw, frivolous maybe to you, mate," he remarked, "but life-changing to those poor, husband-less hens." He grinned. Steve narrowed his eyes at the Aussie.

"So you took it to court, they laughed it out, and Jack went on to live happily ever after, right?" Jessie hinted.

"On the contrary!" Jack hollered. "The Chicken Lady, Beatrice Lawrence, she sued me for fifty thousand dollars!" Mark's, Steve's, Jessie's, and Amanda's jaws all dropped to the floor...again!

"You're not serious!" Mark laughed in astonishment.

"So ludicrous." Steve pffted. "How did she pull off a stunt like that?" He asked.

"Hypnotism." Lucy said simply.

" _Hypnotism?!"_ Amanda exclaimed. "She hypnotized Jack into paying her the fifty thousand?"

"No, the chicken. Or rather, hen." Tara explained.

"She hypnotized the chicken?" Mark gaped.

"Oh, yes!" Jack declared emphatically.

"You're kidding." Jessie shook his head.

"I didn't know you could hypnotize a chicken." Amanda stated.

"I'm not sure why you'd want to." Steve said, unamused.

"Oh, you could, if you needed it to look _depressed!"_ Jack snarled.

"Oh, come on!" Steve exclaimed in utter disbelief. "First a drumstick lawsuit, then hypnotism, and now you're telling me she used depression too?"

"In the middle of the audit, she brought the chicken in: Patty." Jack explained in peeved sarcasm. "Who was allegedly so _traumatized_ by Philip, the rooster's death, that she stopped laying eggs."

"Why would she call him Philip?" Jessie asked.

"Did she stop laying eggs?" Mark asked curiously.

"Well, _conveniently,_ she didn't lay one in the deposition!" Jack answered.

"Beatrice or the chicken?" Steve chided in sarcastically.

"You know the even crazier part?" Lucy asked.

"After what I've already heard, I can't imagine anything crazier." Steve grinned.

"Neither can I." Jessie responded.

"The bureau lawyers wanted Jack to go ahead and settle." Dimitrius said casually.

"What?" Amanda sputtered.

"Oh, please." Jessie said.

"The Chicken Lady was willing to drop the whole thing, for _ten_ thousand dollars." Jack rolled his eyes.

" _Please,_ I'd forget my own name for ten thousand dollars." Amanda muttered.

"They wanted Jack to go ahead and end the dispute rather than try to fight it out in court." Dimitrius said.

"That's got to be one of the stupidest things I ever heard." Steve shook his head.

"Yeah!" Jessie agreed. "A drain on the whole system, sucking time, money, and energy from the defenders of our great land."

" _So,"_ Mark raised his eyebrows, "did Jack pay her the ten grand?"

"No." Jack smiled widely with his hands on his hips. "We sent an eager fox into Beatrice Lawrence's hen house, with a camcorder, and he retrieved an honest to goodness laid _egg!"_

"With a little help from the FBI lab, we were able to prove through the DNA that the egg indeed came from one of the chickens who'd lived with the dearly departed Philip." Sue finished happily.

"Well, since we all seem to be investing in the Jack Tacks right now, I personally have been very curious to know how he came by the name of Sparky." Steve grinned evilly. Jack's eyes widened.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no." He smiled and held up his hands in protest. "You guys have had your fun. You know, I think I'll go get some more chips." He started to walk into the hallway, but Steve blocked him by placing his arm on the wall.

"What's your hurry, Spark?" Steve teased, smirking wildly. Everyone else laughed gleefully.

"Oh," Jack moaned pitifully. "Not you too."

"I see your reputation precedes you." Myles said with crossed arms.

* * *

 **Maybe the humor was a bit dragged out in here, but after all the drama they've recently been through, I wanted to give our heroes and my readers a good laugh. Hope it didn't fail.**

 **Is Jack _ever_ going to pop the question? What is this mysterious fundraiser event going to be? Why am I dragging it out? Any guesses? **

**The next chapter is going to take a different spin, but I hope you enjoy it. I just really can't wait to bring Myles to the point I want to position him in.**

 **Just so you know, the end of this story is drawing near. No, the next chapter is not the final one. I still have some others to write and post, but I'm just letting you know, we are nearing the conclusion. I do hope to write another DM/STFBEYE crossover down the road only with reversed settings. If you want that one, please let me know. I only have a title, summary, and faint ideas planted right now, but with God's help I fully intent to write it, once I have some more depth to add.**

 **Feel free to leave reviews, please. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	27. Chapter 27 All on the Same Side

**This chapter makes reference to the STFBEYE episode _Bad Hair Day._**

* * *

Steve and Cheryl were sitting at the counter in BBQ Bob's, eating breakfast that Chief Masters insisted on buying after all the effort they'd put into the Jeffrey White case. Bobby, Dimitrius, Tara, and Myles had joined them. Chief Masters was paying for the whole meal for all of them, though he did not partake of it himself. He just sat back and watched the others enjoy their relish. Jessie was doing his morning shift at the hospital today, so he wasn't around. "I bet you'll all be relieved to get back home in DC, Agent Ganz." Masters said.

"Yes!" Dimitrius agreed. "Though I have to admit, it's been nice being able to walk along the beach...with _Donna!_ She keeps asking me why I never brought her here before, and says I should be assigned to California more often."

"Lucky for me, I already live here." Steve said smugly.

"Exactly." Myles nodded. "Only with no dazzling date to share it with." Everyone laughed, except Steve. He sat there and rolled his eyes.

"Just eat your omelet, Leland." He groaned.

"Well, if Darcy is ever assigned to uncover some crime here, I'll have to put in a requisition to accompany her." Bobby remarked.

"I thought you feds weren't allowed to date within your own unit." Cheryl said.

"Darcy's an investigative journalist." Tara corrected her. "Her career's come in handy for us from time to time. Mmm! This hash brown casserole is scrumptious!"

They were continuing in more small talk when a guy burst inside, hollering. "Down! Down! Everybody down!" He ordered. Steve and the others looked at him in astonishment. He was carrying a sniper rifle! The stunned, frightened, screaming customers all hit the floor, and so did the cooks. Steve and his friends were all about to draw their guns when the guy fired gunshots directly above their heads! They all ducked and he stuck the barrel of his firearm straight into Steve's chest! "Get up, Sloan!" He barked. "Up against the wall, let's go!" He backed Steve into the wall.

"FBI! Drop the gun!" Dimitrius shouted, aiming his gun at him. The man turned around, pulling a pistol out of his pocket and fired, just barely missing Bobby and Myles, then stuck his gun into Steve again!

"Drop your guns!" He yelled. "Put down your guns or I'll shoot him right here! Lay down the guns or your pal's dead!" Bobby, Masters, Myles, Cheryl, Dimitrius, and Tara stood there, unsure of what to do. Steve wasn't wearing his bullet proof vest, none of them were, and if the guy shot him right now, there'd be little hope of saving him at all! They cautiously, reluctantly laid down their guns. Bobby, glaring, began to approach the perpetrator when he fired. Bobby growled in pain as the bullet hit his hand-the same hand he'd cut when he'd first arrived here!-, and he fell back.

"Bobby!" Tara gasped and ran to his side.

One hand on the sniper rifle, with his finger close to the trigger, and the pistol in his other hand, the lunatic had them all at bay, with the rifle sticking into Steve's shirt and the other firearm aiming at anyone behind the guy who dared to move. "Nobody talk! Everyone, get your hands up! And if you're smart, you won't make any funny business in trying to save your partner." And he clicked his handgun to prove his point. They all obeyed, they had no choice. Except Tara and Bobby. She helped him sit up and stayed nearby.

"W-what do you want?" Steve asked the perpetrator.

"You! I want _you!"_ The gun man snarled. "I'm Harry Silverton. Name sound familiar? Huh?" Steve didn't have time to play guessing games, and he hoped no one could see his racing heartbeat through his shirt-which was pounding in his ears-! "I'm Marty Silverton's brother." _Harry_ said. "You remember now?" Steve sighed. Marty Silverton was a young guy who had been charged for selling drugs on the street. He'd been involved in a convenience store shootout. Steve and some of his partners had appeared on the scene to get the situation under control when Marty held the place up so he could rob it, but Marty had opened fire on them and they'd fired back. Steve's bullet was the one that had brought him down, and Marty hadn't survived.

"Yeah, I remember." Steve said solemnly. "I'm sorry, but it was all done in the line of duty."

"He was a good kid, Sloan!" Harry growled. "He never meant to hurt anybody. And you killed him!"

"If that's true, then he wouldn't have shot at us."

"He was scared, you imbecile." Harry said angrily. "I always tried to to take care of my little brother."

"By letting him get involved in drugs?" Steve probed.

"That was his choice! He shouldn't have died, Sloan. His blood is on your head. And now I'm gonna kill you, see that my kid brother gets justice."

"Listen, Harry..." Steve tried to reason with him.

"Shut up!" Harry shouted. "You cops are nothing more than public assassins. You swear to protect us, you claim to serve the defenseless and dig out the scum. But that's not how you play the game, is it?"

"Harry..." Steve tried again.

"You don't care about us. You take advantage of your rank and our taxes to fulfill your own personal vices. And in the process, kill innocent people who just need a break, instead of arresting the rapists, murderers, and other real criminals out there. My Marty never should've died in that robbery! And now I'm gonna kill _you,_ you incompetent, selfish piece of scum." Everyone could see that he was about to pull the trigger and shoot Steve!

"Noo!" Bobby shouted in protest.

"You'll never get away with this, ugly!" Cheryl added.

"I'm turning out your lights, Sloan." Harry seethed.

Suddenly, a shrill voice pierced the air from the doorway and a dirty woman in shabby attire burst inside, pointing directly at Steve and the lunatic...with a _machine gun!_ "Get your filthy hands up! All of you! He's right." She blurted out. "You're all alike! All you coppers are hypocrites and money squeezers. We pay for your salary out of our own pockets, to protect us on the street, and what do you do? How do you repay us? You squander it on drugs and Ferrari's!" Then she stepped closer to Steve and his assailant. "And YOU!" The deranged woman snarled, her eyes wide, suggesting symptoms of acute insanity. "You're the worst of these assassins." Bobby, Dimitrius, Tara, and Myles were so cut off guard at this new turn of events! Masters and Cheryl however, remained calm in intense concentration.

Steve's captor was totally taken aback. Still aiming the sniper rifle directly into Steve's chest and the handgun at her, he gaped wide-eyed at the junkie. "You're crazy!" He protested worriedly. "I'm not one of them! You think _I'd_ be in cahoots with _these guys?_ Th-this is my line. This is between him and me. Now back off, you riffraff."

The woman's eyes flared in rage. "That's what you bozos do best... _lie!"_ She hollered. "I know all about _you._ I know all about the money-squeezing, the evidence tampering, the drug dealing, and the falsified reports you've turned in!" Harry Silverton trembled in fear. "You promised not to turn me over to the cops in exchange for word on the street..."

"I...you're lying!" The guy cried.

"This is getting crazier by the minute!" Bobby exclaimed. He was totally blown away by what was happening before his eyes.

"You two-faced, backstabbing worm!" The woman ranted furiously. "I hate cops! _'You give me what I want, I'll see that my partners don't bother you,'_ you said! HA! Liar! You turned around and said you were going straight to your other cronies to throw me in the clink! You can't! _You can't!_ YOU CAN'T! Well, it's a good thing I didn't let you get that far, huh? I hate you! I HATE YOU! I hate all of you! But _you...you're_ the worst. I'll turn this place into shards, but you'll be the first to go."

Harry Silverton was perspiring now with terror and his hands shook vehemently. "I'm not a cop!" He cried out. "You guys, do something!" He begged Steve or any other officer who would listen to him.

"Liar! Liar! LIAR!" The armed woman screamed in rage, and pulled the machine gun lever which clicked, ready to fire.

"NO! DON'T!" The guy pleaded in terror. "I swear on my life! I'm not a cop! Don't just stand there, you imbeciles! Do something! Get this lunatic away from me! Don't let her shoot me! PLEASE don't let her shoot me! Here, you can take me! Arrest me! Do anything you like, just _don't_ let her kill me!" He threw down his firearms and dropped to the floor covering his head. Cheryl shook her head with a snicker and handcuffed him. Tara helped Bobby up to a chair and the customers slowly stood up after Chief Masters told them it was safe now and he called an ambulance. One of the cooks quickly brought a towel out to wrap around Bobby's bloodied hand. Myles and Dimitrius however, grabbed the crazy druggie by her arms.

"Whoa, hey. Easy there, boys." She chuckled, electrically calm now. "Don't worry, I'm on your side."

"It's okay, guys." A tall, attractive young woman spoke up as she stepped next to them.

"Let her go. She's one of us." Steve smiled, shaking his head. D and Myles reluctantly obeyed. The woman stepped back and reached up for her hair. She pulled down the matted mess to reveal shoulder length, sleek, jet dark hair. Then she reached underneath her dingy jacket and pulled out a...a _badge!_

"Detective Taylor Lucas." She smiled. "LAPD, vice. At your service. Things aren't always as they appear."

"She's my partner." The attractive young lady added. "Detective Amy Devlin, LAPD, vice. Hope everyone's okay." Bobby, Tara, Dimitrius, and Myles were more than flabbergasted now! They were so shocked they couldn't speak!

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Taylor asked cockily with wide, mischievous eyes.

"Amy? Taylor? This is Agent Leland, Tara Williams, Manning, and Ganz." Steve introduced them. "They're from the DC FBI bureau. They're the ones who helped us solve the Jeffrey White case."

"Oh! Well, it's good to meet you all." Amy smiled, offering to shake their hands but no one moved forward to return the gesture, except Tara.

"That was a nice piece of work." Taylor nodded. "You big boy scouts are highly intelligent. Fascinating mystery!" She smiled at Myles who seemed lost in a trance. "You okay, pal?" Taylor asked. Myles didn't answer, he actually didn't look like he'd even heard her at all. "Hey, Lt.?" Taylor said to Steve. "I think you might need to get this guy to the hospital. He looks as if he's just been dumped to earth from the twilight zone!"

"Lucas?" Masters spoke up. "I'm gonna want a word with you about the gun." He said firmly.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Probably get scolded again for using the big gun without permission." She muttered.

"You're in trouble." Steve smirked.

" _Again."_ Amy added.

"Yeah, well, she ought to be." Bobby groaned. "Bursting inside and shooting up the place like that!"

"She didn't shoot anyone." Tara chuckled.

Taylor picked up Bobby's gun from the floor. "You know, you really shouldn't leave your guns laying around like this." She stated. "It's an invitation to crime."

* * *

The paramedics took Bobby to the hospital where thy fixed up Bobby's hand then he met the others at the police station. Mark and Jessie were shocked when Steve informed them of what had happened. Thankfully, it had all turned out okay and Harry Silverton was in custody, but still, Dimitrius was so glad he'd left Donna at the hotel to sleep in this morning!

"So, how did you guys know what was going on and where Silverton was headed?" Steve asked.

"Vice, our specialty. Remember?" Taylor quipped.

"And how did you arrive so fast?" Dimitrius inquired.

"Taylor's been doing some undercover work at a small pawn shop over near 29th." Amy explained.

"Inventory." Taylor added. "That way if any crooks come through the door, they won't remember seeing me."

"Harry's been running the pawn shop for a while."

"But he's also been doing a lot of 'business luncheons' as he calls them on his lunch break." Taylor continued. "I've been following him and getting his conversations. He never knew I was there. He kept talking with this guy about revenge against you, Lt. This fellow was the dealer who secretly pawned off the rifle to him."

"But what about this morning?" Tara asked.

"Well, last night I told Amy that Silverton bought the sniper rifle yesterday and to be prepared today to give me some backup." Taylor went on.

"She told me that Silverton said he had an important business deal to make in the morning, one that he couldn't do at the shop." Amy said. "So, this morning I was waiting in the parking lot across from the shop."

"This morning, Harry's gun dealer shows up behind the shop. Harry was giving him his final pay." Taylor said. "While Harry came inside and told me that he had to leave for that big business deal, Amy came around and arrested Harry's dealer as an accessory to murder. She waited for me till after Harry left then we sped away."

"But what about the gun?" Dimitrius chimed in. "How did you pull that off on such a short notice?"

"It wasn't hard." Taylor smiled. "We just tossed the gun dealer in the trunk, rushed here to the station, grabbed the gun, and sped to BBQ Bob's."

"You what?" Bobby gaped. "You just broke in and took the machine gun?"

"It's a police station, Agent Manning." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Taylor has a way of getting around the rules but still dumping the perpetrator onto the captain's desk." Amy snickered. Steve couldn't agree more.

"Harry was unaware that his new employee was a cop. _So,_ whenever he wasn't looking, I put bugging devices inside his car and tracking devices in them too, plus one his work boots too. He never knew what hit him." Taylor said proudly with her hands in her pockets.

"Well, thanks a lot, Lucas." Steve smiled. "You really did save my bacon. All of us, actually."

"It was my pleasure, Lt." Taylor smiled back.

"I owe you one." Steve said.

"You're a dangerous woman, you know that?" Dimitrius eyed her cautiously.

"Hey, what the heck?" Taylor threw her arms up. "Story of my life."

"What were you thinking, bringing a machine gun into a public place and screeching like a cat on meth?" Bobby shuddered at the memory.

"She wasn't thinking." Amy answered. "It's secondary nature to her."

"Hey!" Taylor frowned. "Sometimes, Agent Manning, you don't have time to think. Sometimes, you just have to take action!"

"Anyone ever tell you that you're insane?" Bobby spoke.

Taylor grinned. "I've been called worse."

"Lucas? Devlin? The chief wants you." Cheryl announced.

"Uh oh!" Taylor grinned, walking away with her partner.

"I don't know if we could've used her on the Jeffrey White case or not." Dimitrius stated.

"I think we had more than we could handle." Tara said.

"Seriously, Steve. How come no one's used a straight jacket or rubber hose on that girl before?" Bobby spoke, still taken aback. "That sheila is one wild woman!"

Steve laughed, shaking his head. "You just don't know Taylor." He smiled. "I know she uses bizarre methods, but she always gets her man! The department owes her a lot."

"Like what? Their lives?"

"If you're speaking of me, then yes."

"Garret would never let a crazy like that in the bureau." Bobby shook his head.

"Hey, she's impulsive but she's not crazy."

"Well, Steve? I don't think you'll have to worry about our mad gunman shooting up your restaurant again." Cheryl said. "He's too shook up right now. All he wants is to be locked up in a cell where he says he'll be safe from Detective Lucas."

"Personally, I can't blame him!" Dimitrius laughed.

"He keeps looking out the window to see if she's been incarcerated yet." Cheryl chuckled with her arms folded. "He's afraid he'll come face to face with her again."

"So, what was that all about?" Bobby asked, and Steve explained to him about Marty Silverton. "Mph. Sounds like Crazy Loco." Bobby stated.

"Crazy _Loco?"_ Steve furrowed his brows. "Don't know how it is where you come from, but here crazy and loco mean the same thing."

"I, uh..." Tara cleared her throat, remembering her unpleasant experience. "I shot his younger brother down when he tried to hold up a hair salon." She said very quietly. "Crazy Loco didn't appreciate me doing my job, so he decided to take matters into his own hands." She sighed, biting her lip. Steve gazed at her and felt bad. Apparently her experience with Crazy Loco had taken a toll on her, and it made him curious to hear the whole story. But not now. It was obvious she didn't want to talk about it. Bobby was also looking at her.

"So," He spoke up, trying to change the subject. "Do you always have people running after you as the bachelor on their most wanted hit list?" He teased Steve.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Manning." He said dryly. "Unfortunately, yes. Seems my dad and I have become real popular in the crime circles, and for some reason we always end up spoiling their parties. Never figured that out yet."

"Must be your cultural upbringing." Tara said with a grin. "Some classes just don't mingle together right when you put them in the oven." Steve couldn't help smiling. He was really going to miss the witty, beautiful, intelligent FBI agent when she went back home to DC. He started to daydream, wishing they could work together in LA fighting crime, putting their heads together in solving mysteries…

"Well, I think we'd better get back." Dimitrius said, thwarting Steve's daydreams.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, you're right." Steve cleared his throat loudly. "Sorry you guys nearly got killed at _my restaurant._ You're not gonna sue me, are you?"

"I look at it as getting a chance to see all LA has to offer." Tara quipped. "After all, a girl's gotta have fun." Steve smiled warmly again.

" _Yeah,"_ Cheryl squinted at her partner.

"Not _my_ girl's idea of fun." Dimitrius chirped, thinking of his wife. "I sure am glad Jack wasn't here though!" He exclaimed. "I wouldn't want us to have deal with another heart attack!"

"I hear ya." Steve quickly agreed. "Thank God that Dad convinced him to just stroll along the beach today."

"Right!" Bobby agreed wholeheartedly. "Well, let's go, Myles. Come on, mate." He stood up and they all headed toward the door but Myles didn't move at all. He hadn't said a single word since Detective Lucas had revealed her true identity. In fact, he still had that stunned, faraway look on his face.

"Myles, it's over. We can go now!" Tara said louder. Myles still didn't move. Steve waved his hand in front of him. Myles didn't even flinch.

"You know, at first I took it as a joke, but now I'm seriously thinking we _should_ have Dad look at him!" Steve gasped with his hands on his hips. "He's showing all the distinct symptoms of shock."

"Come on, tiger." Dimitrius said, shaking his head and taking Myles' arm. "Don't worry. This is all just a terrible nightmare. You'll survive."

"I will regret forever that I did not have this on video." Bobby chuckled as her took Myles' other arm. "Myles, ya all right, mate?" Myles finally snapped out of his trance and stared at all of them in bewilderment.

"She was one of us. She was actually one of us." Myles stated in awe.

"He's okay." Bobby waved him off. "Just overwhelmed."

"Ahh," Steve nodded, smirking.

"I'll never complain about having to work with _Lucy or Thomas again!"_ Myles declared, wide-eyed.

* * *

 **Okay, you see what I mean? After watching the season6 episode _Blood Ties_ of DM numerous times-one of our favorites-, I kept thinking that Myles would be blown away by Detective Lucas' methods, and thought, "If he had to work with her, he'd never complain about Lucy or Sue again!" And while I was looking for a gap to fill in this story, I couldn't resist actually putting him in that spot and hearing it from his own mouth! Hope you enjoyed. If you're not sure who Detective Lucas is, you should watch the said episode. It's hilarious, in a realistic way.**


	28. Chapter 28 No Rest for the Male Species

**This chapter was soo hard to piece together, but I hope you really like it, especially since Sue and the team are heading back home very soon. This chapter gives references to STFBEYE episodes The Signing, Greed, Cold Case, and Elvis is in the Building, and DM episode Trapped in Paradise. I've been looking forward to sharing this chapter with you guys almost from the beginning of the story!**

* * *

Jack and his team had four days left before they were to fly back home to DC, so they were busy trying to get ready, as well as making the most of the rest of their trip. Mark and the others still had their jobs to do, but they made efforts to try to spend time with their new found friends before they departed. As a matter of fact, Captain Newman ordered Steve to take some vacation, after all his hard work in capturing Jeffrey White. Cheryl had also been granted a break from work.

Lucy was still subconsciously edgy, especially if she had to sit still for an extended period of time. The longest she would stay in a chair was fifteen minutes, then she would just have to get up and walk around. Sue was anxious about this, and hoped that Lucy would recover soon, especially when they got back on the job. She asked Mark about it and he told her that Lucy might be more relaxed once they were back home, in a familiar, safe environment. Sue hoped that he was right. Nevertheless, Lucy was still Lucy Dotson, and she made that very clear every time she decided to have a little fun at the guys' expense!

Jack was still not totally back in shape yet, but still, Mark and Jessie were impressed by how quickly he was returning to normal health. Mark, Amanda, and Delores sensed that it was more than just the pretty beach and outdoors that was nursing his spirit: it was a certain _someone, someone_ a while ago Jack had thought he'd lost forever. His cheerfulness and constant smile wasn't lost by his team either. They spoke in whispers about it and everyone waited with baited breath for Jack to make an announcement.

Steve and Mark couldn't believe how mentally and emotionally rested they felt now that Jeffrey White was in custody. They hadn't realized just how much it had been taking up their energy. And the headlines took into consideration how many women felt safe to venture out on the street again.

Though they were grateful he hadn't been hurt worse, everyone couldn't help teasing Bobby about how he'd ended up twice in the ER already during this trip, both times for his hand. Jessie said that his left hand was unlucky.

* * *

The team was eating lunch at BBQ Bob's, Steve's treat. They had to admit, they couldn't seem to get enough of those incredible ribs, or at least that was Levi's opinion. "Hey, you ever come to our side of the ocean we'll take you to _Slappy Joe's._ They've got the best French fries you could ever ask for." Jack stated.

"I'll keep that in mind." Steve said. "So, I've been really curious, how do you and the DEA work together? You see them as friends or foes?"

"All depends on the circumstances." Dimitrius answered.

"Honey, don't forget. You're taking me shopping after lunch. You promised!" Donna reminded.

"Don't worry, honey. I did _not_ forget!" Dimitrius answered in amused but genuine timidity.

"They say we're all one the same side," Myles remarked, "but most of the time it's so hard to tell who's side they're really on."

"Uh-huh. And how would you know, coach?" Bobby teased. "When you assigned us to carry back the victory from our unworthy opponents, you didn't even stick around for the finish."

Myles stared at him. "I beg your pardon." He retorted. "It was thanks to my brilliant strategy in using Thomas as our secret weapon that we rescued Myrtle's girdle from those pathetic G-man wannabes from the DEA!"

"Yeah, how could you miss it, from the back of your eyelids?" Jack grinned.

"Hey, I saw the winning move!" Myles argued. "But still, if I hadn't recruited her to read the lips of those DEA ne'er-do-wells, she never would've made that great save!"

"Ha! If my memory is correct, _you_ were the one who told her stay in the Gatorade brigade so she'd be out of the way." Lucy rolled her eyes. Steve was completely lost and felt invisible. All he'd done was ask a question. He'd had no intention of starting a private war, though he had to admit it was very entertaining.

"Uh, guys…" He chuckled, trying to divert their attention, but they didn't hear him. Only Sue and Levi looked at him. "Will someone please explain what's going on?!" Steve bellowed, acting like a sports coach.

"We were just talking about the time we had a football game against the DEA." Jack said. "Myles used Sue to read the lips of the opponents, and she blocked their winning throw, that's how we won the game!"

"Mmm." Steve raised his eyebrows. "Nice work, Thomas."

"Myles was so busy worrying about where the ball was going that he didn't keep his eyes on where his feet were running." Bobby grinned evilly. "He ran smack dab into one of the poles and collapsed just before the winning shot was called."

"Ooo. That's not very supportive of you, Leland." Steve joked. Myles glared.

"Once again my cocky support staff has misinformed you, Lt. Which shouldn't come as a surprise since they are notoriously famous for stretching the truth..." Myles boasted.

"Blah, blah, blah…." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"I did run into a post, _but_ I did not drop until I saw that we outdid those DEA reprobates, brilliantly, strategically, and if I may say-not to brag-, most efficiently. Thanks to the mastermind behind the stratagem." Myles smirked.

"Yeah, well..." Jack shrugged. "Just make sure that the IRS doesn't count this excursion against you when they go over your tax records next time." He eyed Myles sneakily.

"Hee, hee, hee!" Bobby squeaked cheekily.

"Okay, what am I missing?" Steve asked, sitting back in his chair.

"You wanna tell him that, Myles?" Lucy smiled, the smile that cut Myles to the quick.

"Ahem, if you'll excuse me." Myles grunted, rising from his seat and leaving the room.

"Did the IRS get him good, or something?" Steve asked, leaning in closer after Myles departed.

" _Ohhhh, yes."_ Lucy giggled.

"In fact, the guy just walked right into our office and confronted Myles at his own desk." Dimitrius smiled.

"He said Myles was being audited, four years' worth of receipts and paperwork to be submitted on demand, on the spot!" Lucy cheered, clearly enjoying herself. "The guy said Myles had missed the three notices they'd sent him in the mail. Myles was furious, and so dumbfounded."

"Yeah, especially when the guy started to remove his shoes!" Jack snickered, shaking with laughter.

"Whoa." Steve raised his eyebrows. "That doesn't sound good. But can someone tell me how he's still an FBI agent after that mess? Was someone hacking into his financial life and fixed up a discrepancy?" Everybody snorted with laughter. "What? What am I missing?" Steve furrowed, the apparent joke still not clicking. All the FBI members looked directly at Sue, who smiled sheepishly. "Wait a minute..." Steve looked up at the ceiling. "You had a hand in it, didn't you?" Sue shrugged.

"The IRS deputy was really an employee from the Department of Transportation." Dimitrius said. "Sue set the whole thing up as a payback to Myles." Steve couldn't help laughing.

"Oh, you should've been there." Lucy chimed in. "The look on his face when he realized how much he'd been taken..."

"Another moment I will regret forever that I did not have on video." Bobby mock pouted.

"Well, I'll say one thing: that's one for the books, Thomas." Steve commented. Sue just smiled back.

* * *

Since they only had a few days left before heading back home, part of the team decided to pay another visit to Community General with Steve. It had become their 'tourists' bullpen' while in LA. They walked into the lounge and made themselves comfortable. "I'm gonna kind of miss this cozy little place when we leave." Bobby commented, acting like he was seeing the room for the first time. "It's become kind of like a home away from home to me."

"Catching, isn't it?" Steve smiled.

"Oh, hi." Mark and Amanda said in surprise as they came in.

"Hey." Steve replied.

"Glad to see you here, Jack...er, not as a patient." Amanda said.

"Yeah, me too." Jack smiled. "And you'll be receiving a payment for my hospital stay soon, Mark."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Mark shook his head.

Amanda sat down. "By the way, has anyone been able to decipher how Jeffrey White picked out his victims? I still haven't been able to wrap my head around that one." She commented as she took a sip of coffee.

"Well, from what we all observed, and the full confession that White mouthed off, he just chose them at random." Steve said in disgust.

"Yeah, when he lurked around at the press releases of the crime scenes where he left his victims," Tara explained, "he was looking around for any young, attractive, impressionable women in the crowd. Once he saw one, he followed her."

"Found out where she lived, her daily route, and waited for the right moment." Bobby snarled.

"And I'm guessing if she had a hooked boyfriend, her criteria qualified just what White wanted to see." Amanda grumbled.

"That about sums it up." Steve glared.

"He was trying to send out a message that all women are back-stabbers." Mark sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't quite go to such drastic measures as he did," Myles spoke up sarcastically, "but-I'm only speaking from personal experience-some women have been known to..."

"Don't you even say it!" Lucy snapped. "And if I daresay, they usually have a provocative to drive them to spurning."

"You know, I'm actually gonna miss you guys dropping by here when you leave." Amanda said wistfully.

"Well, thank you, ma'am." Bobby smiled. "Thank you very much." Tara grinned widely.

"I'm gonna miss it too." She said. Just then, the overhead intercom was calling for Amanda.

"Oh, excuse me. I'm needed in pathology." Amanda sighed.

"Anyone we know?" Myles quipped.

"Arrghh. You are so warped." Jack cringed.

"I'll catch you guys in a bit." Amanda said.

"Okay." Sue nodded. Myles followed Amanda to her path lab.

"He's graduated from Myles the Merciless to Myles the Morbid." Dimitrius commented.

"Must be that blue-blood PHD ancestry on his father's side." Bobby said.

"Amanda's right." Mark said. "Personally, I'm gonna miss you guys hanging around too." Levi covered his nose with his paw.

"Levi says that you're not the only one." Sue murmured. "We've enjoyed working with you too. If it hadn't been for you, we might never have found White."

"It was our pleasure." Steve smiled. "Well, I mean...you know what I mean."

"I'm trying to." Jack said cautiously, again feeling a hot flash when he saw Steve smile at Sue the same way he had when they'd first met.

"It's good to see you all again, but I'm afraid I've got some patients to see." Mark said. "But I'll catch you before you leave."

"Sure thing." Tara nodded.

"I wanted to assure you that we weren't pawning off on your generosity." Jack said. "You will be getting paid for all the excellent care you gave me."

"Don't worry about it." Mark said as he walked out. "Whoops! Sorry, Jessie."

"Aw, think nothing of it." Jessie shrugged as he made a rapid turnaround and twirled into the lounge. "Hey, look who's here! Hey, guys. What's up? Got another case?" His eyes lit up.

"Not this time, Jess. So you can wipe that hungry smile off your face." Steve said. Jessie frowned at him. Levi wagged his tail and cheerfully trotted to the young ER doctor. Jessie laughed and knelt down to pet him.

"Aw, hi there, buddy." Jessie smiled. "You know, things are gonna be so dull around here when _you_ leave. I'll miss you." Levi covered his nose again.

"I think Levi's found a new pen-pal." Sue smiled.

"Really? Can I?" Jessie asked.

"Sure." Sue said. "Here. Just send me a message and I'll send you our address." She handed him her business card.

"Thanks a lot." Jessie beamed. "So, what brings you all here?"

"Just hanging around." Tara remarked, cocking her head.

"Well, you're welcome any time."

"Thanks." Tara grinned. Norman Briggs, Mark, and Delores all entered the lounge at the same time as Lucy left to fetch Myles.

"Ah-ha." Norman smiled. "Lt. Sloan, Dr. Travis. Just the people I want to see."

"I swear I didn't do it!" Jessie raised his hands in surrender.

"Didn't do what, Dr. Travis?" Norman asked suspiciously.

"Uh, err...well, nothing I guess." Jessie bit his lip.

"What can we do for you, Norman?" Steve asked with his arms folded.

"You two gentlemen are to be dressed in tuxedos on Wednesday night, the night of our charity fundraiser for the children's wing here at the hospital." Norman said.

"Oh, now look, Norman." Steve began to protest. "I know what a worthwhile cause it is, but..."

"No buts. You're going." Norman said.

"I'll have to check my schedule..." Jessie added.

"I've already done that." Norman cut him off. "You are both going to be there. You don't have a choice."

"Dad," Steve whined, looking to Mark for a rescue.

"Steve, it's all for a good cause." Mark smiled. Delores burst out laughing. Jack and the others just sat there watching with interest and confusion.

"You two handsome boys are gonna be prize prospects in our Eligible Bachelor Auction Gala to raise money for the children's wing." Delores smiled smugly, putting her hands on their shoulders. Jack and the others laughed and clapped their hands. Steve's and Jessie's jaws dropped.

"We're _what?!"_ Steve growled in horror.

"Really?" Jessie raised his eyebrows.

"Congratulations, mates." Bobby cheered, though he could see it was only ticking Steve off more. "Welcome to society."

"Hey, you're not alone. You'll survive." Jack said.

"I am NOT doing any such ludicrous thing!" Steve argued.

"Yes you are, Steve. We've already recruited you." Norman said dryly. "The auction bids from the lovely ladies have already been pouring in, the polls are still open, and all our tickets have completely sold out."

Steve rubbed his temples with his hand. "Someone got an Excedrin handy?" He groaned pitifully. "I think I feel a migraine coming on."

"Quit squawking, you'll live." Jack said.

"Easy for you to say." Steve pursed his lips.

"Well, I _am_ already spoken for," Jessie stated.

"There, you see?" Steve piped up.

"But on the other hand, Steve. It's _not_ the end of the world." Jessie grinned. Steve rolled his eyes.

"So I have to dress up in a monkey suit, choking and roasting the whole time, and on top of that, I'm to be paraded around like a prize hog or a museum piece to the highest bidder." Steve snarled.

"I wish you wouldn't take on such a morbid viewpoint, Lt. Sloan." Norman muttered. "Community General, the good of our children is depending on it! I think you could show some more cooperation! I will expect no less." He huffed. "And by the way, the cameraman is here waiting for you." He turned to leave.

" _What_ cameraman?" Steve hollered with his arms spread out in frustration.

"The man who is to present your planned date for the lucky lady." Delores announced, smiling.

"Sounds cool." Jessie smiled.

"I am _**NOT**_ doing this!" Steve declared, hands on hips, and putting on his best, fiercest cold cop stare. However, Norman, Delores, Jessie, and Mark all remained undeterred.

"Aw, come on, mate." Bobby said casually. "Where's your generosity? Where's your civic duty?"

" _You_ stay out of this." Steve glared.

"Come on, Steve. It's only one night." Mark chuckled.

"Dad, I'm not gonna do it." Steve said stubbornly.

"Come on, for the sake of the children."

" _No."_ Steve persisted, already developing that sinking feeling that no matter how intimidating he tried to be, he was losing this battle, especially when he looked at his jovial father, who at times was impossible to say no to.

"Discussion's over." Norman said flatly and walked out of the lounge.

"Why don't I just shoot you, Norman?" Steve barked after him.

"Ooo. Steve." Mark cringed, shaking his head.

"You can't!" Norman hollered. "It's not tax exempt!"

"Whew." Jessie blew out a breath. "I think you offended him." He said to Steve.

"An Eligible Bachelor Auction, and a gala." Tara mentioned thoughtfully. "Sounds exciting." She gave her friends a knowing look and they all returned it with glee.

"Oh, don't tell me you're _actually_ looking forward to this, Jess!" Steve groaned.

"Think about it. Might be fun." Jessie shrugged. "A chance to be the sole philanthropist of the whole affair. _And,_ the patients-the kids-are the ones who benefit from it more than anyone else!"

"I'm not convinced." Steve muttered. "If you ever quit the medical profession, Jess, _don't_ try to become a salesman. It's a dead end."

"I couldn't agree more." Myles said cockily as he appeared. "Well spoken, Sloan. I couldn't have said it better myself."

"What's this?" Jessie gaped innocently. "Who asked _him_ to butt in?"

"Relax, baby." Delores chuckled. "It will all be over before you know it."

"Uh-huh." Steve said skeptically.

"Steve, calm down. It won't hurt a bit." Mark smiled warmly.

"Sure, Dad. Sure."

"Now I think I know who is the brains behind this." Dimitrius whispered to Sue and she smiled.

"Brilliant idea, don't you think?" Delores asked Mark.

"I think it is." Bobby nodded, enjoying watching Steve's face turn all colors.

"And who is the feather brained idiot that came up with that idea?" Steve grumbled.

"Ahem! I believe she's right here, _Lt. Sloan."_ Lucy said dangerously as she came around from behind him. Steve just froze, wide-eyed and felt his face grow hot with incredible embarrassment.

"Oh, I...I, uh..." He stammered. "I...I wasn't talking about _you!_ I...I was…I mean...I thought..." Lucy smirked at him, squinting.

"Oh, it's okay. Really! No harm, no foul." Lucy said casually, yet her tone didn't put Steve at ease at all. Her smile was too bright, staring him in the face too hard, triggering the uneasy feeling that he wasn't off the hook. "So, they know now?"

"Know what?" Amanda asked curiously. The gloating faces from her elder friends, and Steve's peeved expression answered her question. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "So, they know!"

"Have you talked to Susan about this?" Jessie whispered to Amanda.

"Who? _Me?"_ She feigned innocence.

"Looks like I'm out numbered." Steve groaned. "If I'm gonna make a fool of myself, I guess I better do it right."

"Look, take it easy." Jack spoke up.

"Well, I would've expected some sympathy from at least _you!"_ Steve huffed with his hands on his hips.

"There's nothing to it, mate." Bobby said casually. "Take it from those who know, it's no worse than having a tooth pulled." He and Jack knew exactly how Steve felt, but they were taking the opportunity to poke fun because this time they weren't the ones who had to go through it.

"How would _you_ know?" Steve snapped.

"It just so happens that our three eligible FBI bachelor boys fell victim to the same con game a few years ago." Sue explained. The others raised their eyebrows.

"What?" Steve sputtered.

"No." Jessie smiled.

"Oh, _yes!"_ Jack exclaimed. "It was humiliating."

"For _you,_ very interesting for me." Bobby said.

"How about you, Myles?" Mark patted him on the shoulder.

"Uh...uh, ahem. If you'd like some tips on how to really draw in the money, I'd be happy to advise you, Lt." Myles said quickly, changing the subject. All of his FBI members laughed heartily and Levi barked.

"Ooo. Someone's got you good." Jessie squinted at Myles.

"It was all Lucy's idea." Delores said, wrapping her arm around her.

"You should've seen the look on Norman's face when she told him." Amanda smirked.

"The minute she gave the details of your all's gala turned out, Mr. Briggs ate it right up!" Delores continued. "And I am looking forward to it myself."

"Oh, me too!" Amanda grinned.

"Total black tie." Tara grinned. Steve cringed. He hated dressing up, especially for ritzy affairs as the said gala.

"Dad, you knew about this didn't you?" Steve accused him.

"Mph." Mark nodded.

"How am I ever gonna live this down?" Steve moaned pathetically.

"You won't." Bobby smiled.

"Oh, ho, ho. Don't think _you're_ gonna get off Scott Free." Lucy looked directly at him. Bobby froze.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked worriedly.

"Oh, nothing." Lucy said sneakily. She, Delores, and Amanda all left the room, laughing like school girls, satsified that their plot had turned out so good.

"Those three are ruthless." Jessie pointed out.

"I'll say!" Mark agreed.

"Oh, _now_ you're on my side." Steve shook his head, then looked at his FBI friends. "You all are going to be there with me!" He threatened. "You are _not_ letting me down this one, or I might take you out." Bobby just smiled and looked down at Levi.

"Moral support does wonders." Tara stated.

"Hey, buck up, mate." Bobby grinned. "After all, it's for a good cause."

"Remember, it's all for the children." Sue smiled.

* * *

The night of the bachelor auction gala arrived too quickly for Steve. The FBI guys were gleefully sitting back on the side lines, thankful that they were not the contestants. Steve grumbled the whole time, though he looked especially dapper all dressed up. Jessie was being a good sport, though he was very curious if Susan was gonna turn out to be his lucky lady, and dreading what would happen if she wasn't! Sue and Jack sat next to each other at the finely decorated table. He thought she looked extra beautiful tonight in her royal blue dress. Steve constantly tugged at his bow tie, fidgeting. "You all right, Steve?" Mark asked him.

" _Noo."_ Steve growled, squirming. "I'm choking to death." Everyone chuckled. "And sweating to death."

"You sure you're not feverish?" Jessie teased, feeling his forehead. Steve smacked his hand away.

"Would you just..." he huffed. "I wish I was. It'd be more pleasant than this. I'd rather chase a gang down a dark alley than sit around looking pretty in this monkey suit."

"Would you just relax?" Amanda scolded with a smile. "You're more fussy than CJ when I have to brush his teeth."

"At least CJ can get away with tantrum throwing." Steve rolled his eyes.

"Aw, come on now. Don't be a spoil sport." Bobby grinned his cheesy smile.

"Yeah, Levi seems to be enjoying the festivities." Dimitrius pointed out and they all looked at the happy Golden, licking clean his plate of catered food.

"Well, yeah, at least when you throw in rubber chicken and powder potatoes," Jack said.

"Let's just hope he doesn't have indigestion in the middle of the night." Mark chuckled.

"Oh, he's had more elaborate food than this before." Sue shrugged.

"Well, Mr. Briggs seems to be having a good time." Lucy pointed out. Norman was greeting people at tables, a big smile on his face.

"Figures that he'd fall for a con game like this." Steve muttered.

"Anyone got any duct tape handy?" Susan Hilliard asked, everyone laughed...except Steve.

"I feel like a jerk. I'm gonna look so stupid." Steve complained.

"Why don't we just switch channels and pretend like he's not here." Jessie suggested.

Tara leaned over close to Steve. "Hey, stay calm. Personally, I think you look great." She whispered with a smile. _That_ seemed to slightly penetrate through Steve's left-brained bluntness.

"You're just trying to butter me up." He slightly smiled.

"No, I mean really. You look... _very..._ handsome." She cocked her head. Steve stared at her and smiled warmly.

"Well, thank you." He said smugly. Then he eyed her new black evening dress she'd purchased for the occasion-thanks to a shopping trip and advice from Amanda, Lucy, and Sue-. "You, uh...you don't look so bad tonight yourself." Steve said, then inwardly he kicked himself. _Don't look so_ _ **bad?**_ _Sloan, you dumbbell! She looks fabulous! What kind of idiot are you to say something that unflattering?!_

"Oh. Thanks." Tara replied casually, but with that witty smile of hers.

"You know, we may have a hard time prying her away." Sue whispered to Jack. "I kind of hate to drag her home."

"She'll get over it." Jack said casually.

"You have no romance, you know that?" Sue teased.

"Hey! I've got plenty of romance!" Jack said defensively...a bit louder than he intended, earning him too many curious, stunned, eager faces around the table. Jack suddenly felt very flushed. Lucy smirked deliciously, and rested her chin on her hands. Jack loudly cleared his throat and gulped down some water. "Uh...thirsty." He pretended to pant. "Is...is it just me, or is it hot in here?"

"I thought I was the only one." Steve sighed.

"Oh, _yeah._ It's plenty hot in here." Bobby squinted evilly at his best friend. Jack glared and gulped some more water.

"You dehydrated, Jack?" Mark asked, feigning concern. He knew exactly what was giving the dashing agent hot flashes, and he wasn't the only one either.

"I'm fine." Jack gulped, then leaned in toward Sue. "All I'm saying, is just think of poor Stanley's feelings." Sue just smiled and slipped her hand into his underneath the white linen tablecloth.

"Oh, oops! I, uh...I dropped my fork." Jessie grinned sheepishly, pretending to be innocent. "I'll, uh...I'll just pick it up." He leaned down to try and see if Sue and Jack were holding hands.

"You know...whoops!" Bobby's jaw dropped. "What do you know? My spoon fell down! How could I be so clumsy?"

"Catching, isn't it?" Susan muttered sarcastically.

Bobby shook his head. "Mph. Bad manners, especially at a fancy dinner." Then he bent down to peeper also.

"Very bad manners." Steve added.

"Now, now, I think that's enough utensil slipping." Mark announced. "What if Norman catches you? He'll be dangerously offended."

"And with good reason." Myles added as he appeared.

"Myles, why are you always late?" Lucy scolded.

"Well, I did have to make sure I was attired and groomed appropriately." Myles cocked his head casually.

"Just remember, _Lelandini,_ it's not _you_ on the food shelf this time!" Jack rolled his eyes.

"Lelandini?" Mark, Jessie, Steve, and Amanda raised their eyebrows.

"It's all in the past." Myles said.

"Oh, he knows _exactly_ what we're talking about!" Dimitrius laughed, gazing at Donna who gave him a knowing look.

" _Mmm-hmm."_ Lucy nodded emphatically.

"What are you guys getting at?" Jessie asked. But before they could delightfully answer, Delores walked up to their table.

"Hey. Everyone having a good time?" She asked. She was dressed in a sparkly, sequined, deep purple evening gown with a white corsage and a very long, very large pearl necklace.

"Oh, we're having a _very_ good time." Bobby answered ominously.

"Delores, you look beautiful tonight!" Mark exclaimed.

"Yes." Amanda agreed.

"The purple really suits you." Sue smiled.

"Thanks, honey." Delores smiled back. "Well, so far it's been a fabulous success. Bidding just closed, so now we get to count and find out who the lucky ladies are."

"Well, this is going to be interesting." Sue whispered to Jack.

"If they don't call your name," Jessie said to Susan, "then, Mark? You'd better be prepared to give me CPR!"

"And I'll help!" Steve responded.

"Calm down you guys." Mark laughed. "I don't think it'll come to that."

"So, Lelandini, huh?" Jessie raised his eyebrows, hoping to get some sweet revenge on Myles after all his picking on him.

"Yeah. What's that about?" Amanda asked. Before anyone could answer, Norman had reached the podium and was tapping the microphone to grab everyone's attention. He greeted everyone with a formal smile. The names of the bachelors and their dates were gradually exposed. Steve patted his face with a napkin the closer to the end of his speech Norman came.

"Are you okay, Steve?" Sue asked.

"Hey, it could be worse." Jack teased him, and Steve glared.

" _How_ do you figure that?" Steve growled.

"He's saying at least you don't have a prowling lioness up there ready to eat you." Lucy smirked, glancing to Tara.

"Steve, you need to be calm and cool...like me." Jessie cocked his head proudly.

"I can go either way, depending heavily on what Mr. Briggs says about you." Susan warned Jessie. He gulped.

"And at last, we've come to our handsome, eligible, most generous, secret philanthropists from Community General Hospital." Norman announced.

"Oh, here it comes." Steve cringed.

"If you'd like to take a step outside and get a breath of fresh air, I'd be more than happy to take you." Myles said to him.

"Steve, just sit back and enjoy yourself." Mark said. Steve tugged nervously on his tie, looking and acting too much like a ten-year-old.

"First, our most bade for, vulnerable, sharp bachelor is..." Norman spoke. Steve squeezed his eyes shut, and grew tense, waiting for his doom. "Lt. Steven Sloan of the LAPD." The crowd cheered, and Levi barked cheerily, but Steve froze.

"You guys are gonna have to pry me from this chair." He snarled.

"Lt. Sloan? Would you please stand?" Norman asked.

"Steve, stand up." Mark smiled warmly.

"No." Steve back-talked.

" _Steve,"_ Mark gave him the tone and the look to indicate that he had no choice. Begrudgingly, Steve rose to his feet and barely managed a pasted smile. The crowd cheered louder and some whistled as they watched him. Steve gave a small nod, then attempted to sit back down, but they all shoved him back on his feet.

"And the lucky woman who donated the winning bid goes to..." Norman grinned. Steve gulped hard and waited. "Miss Tara Williams of the DC federal investigation bureau." All her friends stared at her in surprise and delight. Mark couldn't smile any wider. He'd been watching Steve's subtle but undeniable moves and glances he'd been giving the attractive girl. Steve was dumbfounded as he stared at her, wide-eyed. Tara just gave that sheepish, casual smile he'd grown accustomed to seeing and looking forward to. Lucy rolled her eyes. It reminded her so much of the time they had been in this situation, and Jack had stared at Sue when her name came up as the winning bid for him. Steve finally sat back down. He kept looking at Tara with a warm smile. He'd put up so much fuss and tantrum throwing over this whole affair that it had never dawned on him that that amazing girl might become his date! He'd get to dance with her tonight, something he hadn't even considered. He was beginning to feel ashamed at what he would've missed out on had he backed out of this tonight! Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, maybe it _would_ be an enjoyable evening!

"Congratulations, Miss Williams." Norman continued. "Ahem. The next available fellow in line is a skilled surgeon and competent, yet exceedingly young resident at Community General...Dr. Jessie Travis." Jessie's eyes lit up and he quickly stood and waved to everybody. His friends at the table laughed and shook their heads. "And the lovely female to run the highest bid for Dr. Travis was..." Jessie bit his lip and waited anxiously. "Mrs. Genevieve Lander." Jessie's eyes bugged out as the elderly lady five tables away was just as astonished. Jessie gave a big smile and waved to her before sitting back down.

"Well, looks like you rolled the dice and lost, darling." Bobby teased Susan. "You could be history."

"Very funny, Agent Manning." Susan chuckled in a smooth voice, "I'm satisfied to know he'll be in the arms of someone who can keep him in line for me." She glanced at her boyfriend out of the corner of her eye.

"Better watch your step, Travis." Myles warned. "She may grow on you."

"Or sue you if you step on her toes." Mark giggled.

"Nah." Jessie smiled. "You're still my best girl, right?" He asked Susan.

"I wouldn't count on it." She teased. Jessie frowned, hoping she was _only_ teasing.

"And to our incredible satisfaction, the bachelor who brought the very highest bid of all," Norman spoke out again, "is the highly intelligent, dedicated, handsome, talented, big-hearted, none other than yours truly..." Norman's chest was puffing out when Delores handed him an official looking piece of paper and his wide smile instantly dropped.

"Well, who is it?" Lucy asked. "Don't tell me it's _him!"_

"Nah, he wouldn't look like he had indigestion if he was leading the pack." Mark shook his head. Everyone watched with baited breath. Delores and Norman were whispering back and forth to each other in not so friendly tones. Finally, he cleared his throat very loudly to make the announcement.

"As...ahem! As I was saying..." He stammered. "The bachelor who brought the highest bid of all to our charity dance tonight is...is... _Dr. Mark Sloan."_ He mumbled.

"Who did he say?" Amanda leaned in closer.

"How should I know?" Jessie muttered. "He's speaking in a foreign language." Levi groaned, looking up at Mark and Myles. Sue looked closely up at Norman and smiled widely as she read his lips.

" _Speak up!"_ Delores smacked Norman's arm. " _You've got a tongue, haven't you?"_

"Pardon me." Norman coughed. "The bachelor who brought in the most money was...Dr. Mark Sloan! Excuse me!" Norman rambled then quickly left the podium. Everybody whistled and cheered. Everybody at the Sloan table was dumbfounded, but none the less happy. But no one was more surprised than Mark himself. He smiled, embarrassed, flattered, but shocked and shook his head.

"B-but...but I didn't participate!" Mark

"Hey, that's fantastic!" Jessie smiled.

"That's...that's just..." Amanda sputtered.

"Well, uh...a very gripping twist in the mystery." Myles said.

"Hey, hey, hey! Go ahead, doc. Take a bow!" Bobby grinned. Levi barked loudly. Mark stood up and shrugged.

"You'll all have to excuse Mr. Briggs." Delores said as she took the mic. "Congratulations, Dr. Sloan. _And..._ the moment we've all been waiting for! The lucky lady who won the bid on Dr. Sloan is...Anonymous." Everyone furrowed their brows. "Well," Delores chuckled, "No hard feelings from the losers or the winners, huh?" She laughed. Mark blew out a breath of relief. He had no clue who would buy _him,_ and though curious, he had been afraid to find out.

* * *

As the couples took to the dance floor, Jessie's date was interrogating him about what a fine young man she hoped he was from his promo video. Susan couldn't help smirking and shaking her head as she watched him. Sue was relaying to her Jessie and Genevieve's conversation, and chuckled at how many times he said, "Yes, ma'am." Amanda and Delores were taking shifts dancing with Mark and right now it was Amanda's turn. Steve's eyes never left Tara as they smoothly waltzed to the gentle, romantic music. Tara was telling him stories about the fun of being an FBI agent, stories to which he nodded and grunted but didn't really hear half of. He just smiled at her, still finding it hard to believe that she was dancing in his arms.

"Am I talking too much?" Tara squinted uneasily at him when she realized he'd hardly said a word.

"Noo." Steve shook his head. "Not at all."

"Well, anyway. So, how about you?" Tara asked.

"What about me?"

"Let's talk about you for a change."

"I can sum that up in one sentence: I'm a miserable, lonely, unhappy guy." Steve pouted.

"Eh-eh." Tara scrunched up her nose. "You're putting me on. I can see more than that."

"You can?" Steve sputtered. They only had a few days left before Tara left back for DC, and boy, was he going to miss her, but for now, he put aside those gloomy thoughts and just relished in the moment.

"Well, looks like Tara might have found a new permanent transfer." Myles remarked.

"Well, we can't forget Stanley." Lucy sighed. Mark and Amanda returned to the table.

"Is Mr. Briggs going to survive the night?" Dimitrius asked as they sat down.

"Aw, he'll live." Amanda shook her head.

"So, what was all that fuss when he announced Doc Sloan as the bread winner?" Bobby inquired.

"Turns out that poor Norman thought he was gonna be the prize bachelor of the night." Mark said.

"You're kidding!" Jack laughed. " _Him?"_

"Did he say Mr. Briggs thought he was going to..." Sue asked Lucy.

"Uh-huh." Lucy snickered. None of them could help laughing.

"He wouldn't mention it while he was up there, but he only reached the results as one of the middle eligible bachelors." Amanda explained. "Look at him." Norman was dancing with a trim, middle-aged, but attractive woman dressed in a ritzy gown. He was frowning as they waltzed, but then the lady turned his face back towards her and he started smiling as she rambled on. "Miss Willer bought him." Amanda continued. "At first, she was upset when she found him and lectured him that being seen with her was nothing to be ashamed of. Then she dragged him out there to dance."

"What would make him think he was such a prize?" Myles muttered. His friends gaped at him.

"Turns out that Norman embellished his profile a bit to impress the vulnerable ladies out there." Mark shrugged. "He didn't lie about being an administrator, he just made himself out to be more adventurous than he is."

"And more clever, obviously." Dimitrius grinned. Donna stood up, taking his hand.

"Come on, dear." She smiled. "Let's dance." Dimitrius smiled and followed her.

"Well, look at it this way." Bobby sat back in his chair. "At least he didn't stoop so low as Lelandini did." Everyone looked at Myles. Just then, Steve and Tara briefly came back to the table.

"Just who is Lelandini?" Steve asked.

"You wanna tell them, Myles?" Lucy asked sneakily. Myles rolled his eyes.

"You know? I don't have to sit around here and let myself become undignified to the butt of some childish joke." Myles huffed, leaving the table and leaving the room.

"What...what lit his fuse?" Mark chuckled.

"Myles was so determined to be the prize bachelor when he was losing to Jack and Bobby that he went to extreme measures to win." Sue said.

" _What_ did he do?" Steve asked hungrily.

"He had the cameraman make a video of him on the beach." Jack giggled at the memory. "And...and as if that wasn't enough, he...he promised the lucky lady an all expenses paid trip...to Italy!"

"Oh, he didn't!" Mark laughed.

"Oh, yes he did." Lucy said.

"Mph. With a deal like that, I wouldn't have minded bidding on him." Amanda said.

"Me either." Added Susan.

"Did he even realize what kind of disaster he was setting himself up for?" Steve interjected, shocked that Myles would go to such lengths. "Norman's such a penny-pincher, even _he_ wouldn't go _that_ far to win!"

"Oh, that was nothing...compared to what he did next." Bobby said sheepishly.

"What could be more crazy than promising a trip to Italy?"

"The night of the auction, his date was anonymous." Tara said casually.

Mark concentrated for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Don't tell me he bought himself!"

"You got it." Jack laughed.

"He _what?"_ Amanda's, Susan's, and Steve's jaws dropped. They shook with laughter.

"Which brings to mind, how did _I_ become prize bachelor of the year?" Mark asked. Lucy, Susan, and Amanda all glanced at each other with knowing looks.

"Ohhh." Steve cringed. "You three conspirators had a hand in it, didn't you?"

"Of course." The three of them said together. "Of course with a little help from Delores..."

"Ohhh," Steve covered his face with his hands.

"We couldn't let our two boys get their ego stroked," Susan referred to Steve and Jessie.

"Or be at each other's throats in the years to come," Amanda added. "So..."

"So I was your fallback." Mark finished.

"Oh no, Mark!" Amanda said, touching his hand. "We wanted the people here to get to know what fine person you are."

"Thanks, honey. But I still feel a little out of place."

"Join the club." Sue remarked. Mark stood up at walked to her seat.

"Miss Thomas, may I have this dance? If Jack doesn't mind, that is." Mark said, offering his hand. Sue and Jack both raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm still a _miss,_ you know." Sue said. "I'd love to." She took Mark's hand and followed his smooth lead. Jack just sat there, smiling, and secretly, anxiously awaiting his turn. Steve and Tara decided to return to the dance floor just as Jessie returned.

"So, have you enjoyed your stay?" Mark asked Sue, making sure to keep his lips in her eyesight.

"The safe parts, yes." Sue nodded. "We're going to miss you all when we go home. We never expected to make such good friends on this trip."

"It was something that surprised us too." Mark said. "Do us a favor?"

"What's that?" Sue asked curiously.

"Promise to keep in touch with us once in a while when you get back home." Mark wore a pleading look. Sue chuckled.

"Only if you promise to do the same, then I promise." She said.

"Oh, scout's honor." Mark giggled. "So? How are things between you and Jack?"

"Fine." Sue said. "It's all good."

" _So?"_ Mark prodded further. "Has he said anything?"

"Not really." Sue shook her head, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the man she loved. "But, it's okay. Ever since his...his time in the hospital, it's almost like he doesn't really have to say anything. But then, he's always been like that since I first met him."

"Read each other's thoughts?"

"It sure seems that way." Sue nodded.

"That's wonderful, Sue. And I'm glad you have someone like that for you." Mark said seriously. "It's like that for Steve and me. But, honey, even with a relationship like that, there are times when the words _need_ to be spoken." Sue gazed up thoughtfully at the kind, older man. He had a real God-given gift of reading into people's souls, and after meeting someone like him, he'd be impossible to forget.

"Thank you." Sue smiled sweetly. Once they returned to the table, Jack lovingly took her hand and walked her back to the dance floor. They smiled endlessly, gazing into each other's eyes as Jack led her to the beautiful music she couldn't hear.

* * *

Delores finally stepped up to the mic with Norman. "Ladies and gentlemen?" Norman spoke up. "We'd like to thank you all for your time, money, and support. You have been most generous. And I assure you the children's wing at Community General is a worthwhile cause."

Delores chimed in. "We've calculated the donations from tonight's event. We've checked and triple checked. It is my pleasure to announce that we have a grand total _of..._ seventy-five thousand dollars!" The whole crowd cheered loudly and applauded. "And all the money will go the children's wing."

"So, Steve? Was it still _not_ worth it?" Mark asked. Everyone looked at Steve.

"What are you talking about? It was _so_ worth it...just like I told you it would be." Steve cocked his head smiling, looking at Tara who gave his arm a playful smack. Mark just shook his head.

"Oh, and I'd also like to announce," Delores continued, "that tomorrow night at 6 P.M., we will have the pleasure of a young, talented man from the DC FBI who will be performing as Elvis Presley at BBQ Bob's." Lucy and Jessie grinned at each other while everyone else gaped. Tonight had had way too many surprises! "Stand up, Bobby boy!" Delores said. "Well, come on." Bobby smiled shyly as he stood so everyone could see him. "This is the man." Delores rambled. "Remember, tomorrow night, six o'clock, at BBQ Bob's. That's all."

"No way!" Steve stated skeptically.

"Can you really do Elvis?" Amanda asked eagerly, she and Susan staring up wide-eyed at Bobby.

"Listen, if he can't, there is no other Elvis impersonator." Jack said.

"Well, I for one will certainly look forward to that!" Amanda said.

"Well, thank you, ma'am. Thank you very much." Bobby said, bringing up his Elvis imitation voice. "Priscilla, honey?" He looked at Lucy and stepped toward her. "You busy, baby? Yeah, well you just drop them revokable plans, come keep me company. I was thinking of a sunset stroll along the beach." Everyone laughed.

* * *

Bobby's performance at BBQ Bob's was a fabulous success, so much so that people had to stand in line to get inside! The place was crazily packed, with still more customers pouring in! Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jessie were incredibly impressed with the Aussie's authentic imitation. It hadn't been difficult to rent the perfect costume either once the manager was informed that Bobby was one of the heroes who had captured Jeffrey White. Ben Hacker's meal at the rib joint was on the house, after all the helpful info he'd given them in solving this case. Steve was absolutely blown away at Bobby's talent, especially when he did _"Heartbreak Hotel"._ "All I can say is, this guy is good!" Steve commented.

"He's very good!" Mark agreed.

"I'm gonna get his autograph and maybe even an eight by ten glossy!" Amanda announced.

"So am I." Susan Hilliard added.

"Now, if we can just convince him to leave the bureau and become an actor out here, we could have a show here maybe twice a week!" Jessie rambled on. Mark, Amanda, Steve, and Susan shook their heads at him.

"I don't really think that would fit into our schedules, Jess." Mark said.

Jack and the team hung around after hours, partly because Bobby was extremely famished and was granted the house special, no charge. However, Dimitrius and Donna decided to steal away and get a beautiful moonlight ocean view while they still had a chance. Amanda also decided it was time to take CJ home as it was way passed his bed time. "Hey, you were sensational tonight." Jessie praised Bobby.

"Well, thank you, sir. Thank you very much." Bobby smiled. "Whoo, but I think I'm all in for the night. I never did that many songs in one night when I was at the Black Dragon."

"You know, Jack? You guys are the most interesting and the best FBI agents I've ever worked with." Steve said softly when he'd pulled him aside.

"Oh," Jack smiled sheepishly.

"Hey! I'm not just saying that!" Steve argued. "Take it from me, you're the most reasonable that have ever come across my path."

"Well, thank you." Jack said.

"He's not kidding!" Jessie's energetic voice broke into their conversation. "Hey, guys. You've got to hear this."

"Jess..." Steve rolled his eyes.

"The FBI around here can be pretty sloppy. They were in charge of security at the Hillridge Estates, a gated community. Fancy too." Jessie explained. "One of their residents was shot at the gate. But they didn't move in and do anything about it, so Steve decided to."

"I figured undercover would be most effective, so I went in as the victim's brother." Steve said.

"And?" Jessie pressed.

"And?" Steve stared at him.

"And, tell them the rest. They're gonna love it!" Jessie prodded further.

" _What?"_ Jack grinned.

"He decided to to go in as a physician!" Jessie teased. "He thought he could pull off his disguise as a doctor!" Lucy threw her head back and howled, clapping her hands.

"What did he say?" Sue asked Mark.

"Steve went in as a doctor." Jack smirked. Lucy was still giggling and Bobby snorted.

"Something funny?" Steve grumbled at them.

"Oh, sorry." Lucy snickered. "A doctor? Seriously? I can't picture _him_ walking around in a white lab coat." She shook with laughter.

"Yeah, I can just see it now." Myles piped up. "Instead of, _"Sir, please say, 'ahhh,'"_ he walks up and says ' _Sir, you're under arrest, hands behind your back, before I shoot you down with truth serum'!"_ Everybody exploded in laughter, except Steve.

"I've got a grill to clean." Steve grumbled and walked back into the kitchen.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" Jessie exclaimed. "Ooo, I think someone lit a fuse." He warned.

"Did he really work undercover as doctor?" Sue asked. "He seems more of the rugged type to me."

"Did he really expect to pull that off?" Jack added.

"Well," Mark shrugged and told them the story.

* * *

"Well, Dad? Maybe next time Bobby could serenade us with music of the time and you could give us one of your tap-dancing routines, only somehow make it fit into his performance." Steve remarked as they all left the restaurant. Mark chuckled, shaking his head.

"Oh, I don't think so, son." He said.

"Did you say, tap-dancing?" Sue asked Steve.

"Aw, yeah. You didn't know?" Jessie replied.

"First amateur sleuthing, singing, roller-skating, piano playing, a genius, and _now_ tap-dancing?" Jack gaped. "How many more hidden talents have you got?" Mark just smiled, shrugging.

* * *

 **A bachelor auction! Did any of you readers pick up on that earlier in the story when Lucy excused herself to talk to Norman Briggs? Did anyone see that coming? Ha, ha, ha! Hope you enjoyed that!** **Did** _ **anyone**_ **suspect or figure that one out beforehand? If you didn't, how I wish I could've seen the looks on your faces when you read** _ **this chapter**_ **!**

 **Just so you know, this story has only two chapters left.**


	29. Chapter 29 Till We Meet Again

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! I hate to say this, but the chapter after this is the final one already! Can't believe it. There were times I wasn't sure how to fill in the gaps with details of the case, and as I posted the chapters along, I wasn't even sure exactly _how_ they were going to figure _everything_ out! But God gave me ideas and inspiration, and thankfully as I have already posted, they solved the case!**

 **I'm sorry that I have to bring this story to a close soon, but I have another DM/STFBEYE crossover in mind that I want to write. BUT, if you want me to post it soon, you're gonna have to pray for me, for God to give me ideas and inspiration quickly because right now I only have a summary and a small idea of what I want to do, and not much to get the story started with. I could probably suffice a beginning for a first chapter, but after that? I need more depth to put into it. So, keep your fingers crossed. I know what the title and main gist is going to be, but those in-betweens are what makes it difficult especially when writer's block pops up.**

* * *

"It's been so nice being able to visit this grand, luxurious place we only hear about and see pictures of," Lucy remarked wistfully, "but I have to be honest, it'll be great to be back home!"

"Yeah. To drive our own cars, sleep in our own beds..." Tara added.

"Get back to normal." Sue finished with a smile. Lucy and Tara nodded. They would miss their new, good friends tremendously, yet there was still no place like home. Plus, Sue really hoped that being back in the bullpen and in the familiar, safe environment would help cure or at least relieve Lucy a bit from the post traumatic stress disorder she was experiencing. She already felt that Lucy was going to be ancy on the plane, but she hoped Lucy would be back to normal once they were home again. But Sue also had to admit, she felt a twinge of sadness today.

Levi jumped up to alert Sue to something. She looked down at him then at Tara and Lucy. Lucy pointed to the hotel room door and Tara answered it. "Hey," She greeted Bobby.

"Hey, morning." Bobby said as he came in. "Well, you girls all ready?"

"I believe so!" Lucy exclaimed with satisfaction.

"Here, let me take your bags." Bobby offered, grabbing several suitcases.

"Aw, Bobby, you don't have to do that." Sue said.

"Eh," Bobby waved her off, smiling.

"Here, let me give you a hand." Tara said and grabbed a few also.

"You're a lady, you shouldn't be carrying that." Bobby said as they walked out.

"Friends help each other." Tara smiled as they headed down the hall.

"It'll be good to be home, won't it?" Lucy asked, with her arms around Sue.

"Yes, it will." Sue agreed. "At least we're leaving with happier prospects than when we first arrived."

"Yes!" Lucy nodded. "Couldn't agree more."

"I'm so glad we're both okay." Sue sighed.

"Me too." Lucy smiled sadly and the two best friends embraced each other warmly. Jack walked in at just that moment, then stopped abruptly. He was happy to see the two friends safe together, and in his sight. They'd all been through a great deal on this case, and he contentedly granted them this quiet moment of togetherness. Levi jumped up and joined their hug. Both girls laughed and stroked him then Lucy's eyes lit up when she saw Jack. "Oh, hi!" She greeted excitedly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in." Jack apologized.

"Aw, that's okay." Lucy said and eyed Sue. Sue just smiled nervously and bit her lip. "You know, maybe I should go make sure Myles isn't running the packing operation." Lucy said too casually, backing away toward the door. "For all we know, he's parading around like a parade marshal. Guess I better go restrain him a bit. I know: right, like that's gonna happen!" She threw her arms up in resignation, then smiled evilly at Sue then scurried out of sight. Sue and Jack were left alone, minus Levi. Jack stepped over to her.

"So, uh..." He rubbed his nose. "You all ready to go?"

"Yep." Sue nodded. "Dr. Sloan's been a good friend. I'm gonna miss him."

"Yeah, we all will." Jack replied. His eyes were thoughtfully sad as he gazed at Sue.

"But I promised him to keep in touch." Sue spoke up quickly.

"Yeah." Jack sighed. "You haven't forgotten anything, right?"

"I don't think so." Sue shook her head. "Do you, Levi?" Levi just panted. "I think we're all set." Sue said.

"Good. Shall we go?" Jack asked.

"Sure." Sue smiled, and they walked out together.

* * *

"Morning, Steve." Mark smiled as Steve walked into the kitchen to the smell of warm pancakes.

"Eh," Steve nodded with a grunt in return.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Mark cocked his head.

"I suppose." Steve muttered, not really wanting to take in the beauty of the day.

"You hungry?"

"No thanks. I don't feel like eating." Steve shook his head and looked out the window at the ocean.

"It's today, isn't it?" Mark said quietly. "She's going back today." Steve's frown only increased.

"Nothing was gonna come of it, Dad. I mean, she already has a guy she's been seeing." Steve said defensively. "We kept things friendly and casual..."

"But you wish she was staying." Mark finished for him. "And she's a very bright, attractive girl."

"I think I'll go for a run. The plane doesn't leave until 10:30." Steve sighed and went back downstairs to change into his jogging clothes. Mark smiled sadly after his son.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." He shook his head wistfully. But, he also felt a bit sad. Today they would be saying goodbye to their new friends.

* * *

The team came to Community General to say goodbye to Delores, Jessie, Amanda, Norman, and Susan. "Hey, my shift doesn't start till eleven today." Jessie interjected. "We don't say a proper goodbye here. We'll say it at the airport."

"If that's what you wish." Tara said.

"Me too." Amanda insisted.

"It was good meeting you all." Susan smiled with a wave before heading back to her rounds. "Maybe next time you're here, Agent Manning could come to BBQ Bob's again and serenade us with a little _Love Me Tender."_

"I'm afraid for now Elvis is leaving the building." Bobby grinned.

"Doesn't matter." Susan said smugly. _"I_ got his autograph!" Then she left. Lucy and Delores actually started tearing up as they hugged each other. Then Sue hugged her too.

"Well, bye, Sweeties. It's been fun." Delores sighed with a big smile.

"Yes, it has." Lucy squinted.

"Well, see ya around, Mr. Briggs." Bobby said with a hearty handshake.

"Agent Manning." Norman said formally. "Thank you, sirs, for ridding this city of that monster. Los Angeles owes you a great deal of gratitude."

"All part of the job." Jack smiled.

"At least now the victims' families can get the justice they deserve for their loved ones." Dimitrius commented.

"Exactly." Norman nodded. "Well, I must go. Goodbye."

"I'll walk you out." Delores said.

"I think Levi's gonna miss this place." Sue remarked as they stepped out of the lounge.

"It kind of grows on you." Lucy said. The entire team except Myles and Dimitrius was out in the hall walking toward the elevators. They didn't know that a certain white-haired doctor was gliding out of his office toward them...on roller skates again! He saw where he was headed, and tried to slow down but he was already skidding too rapidly.

"Whoa, whoa! Whoa! Look out!" Mark yelled in warning.

Several nurses backed away with laughter with uttering of, _"Not again," "Here comes Dr. Speedy," "He's at it again!"_

"Uh, Jack?" Bobby nudged his friend in the back. "I think we'd better..." Jack looked behind him and his eyes widened.

"Oh, boy!" Jack gulped. Lucy, Tara, and Delores looked up just in time and backed away. Levi jumped up and shoved Sue into the wall.

"Levi! What..." Sue began confused then gaped as she saw Mark slide passed them in a blur. "Is that..." She started to ask.

"Yep." Jessie finished.

"Who else?" Tara shrugged with a grin.

Dimitrius was standing against the wall, waiting for Myles. Myles was just stepping out of the lounge when there was a yelp of, "Look out!" But he was too late. Myles looked up just in time when... _ **BAM!**_ He landed in a heap on the floor... _again!_ And who was lying on top of him in a tangle _again_ but…

"Dr. Sloan." Myles grumbled. Mark bit his lip sheepishly and gulped.

"Uh, hi?" He grinned nervously.

" _Dad,"_ a familiar voice spoke above their heads. Steve stood erect over them with his arms crossed over his chest, smirking. "I thought we talked about this." Steve scolded jokingly while everyone else laughed.

* * *

"Oh, I see what your little game is, Doctor." Myles muttered, glaring at Mark. "You run your patients down then admit them to the hospital. Is that how you can afford your luxurious home?" Lucy smacked his shoulder.

"Now, that wasn't very nice." She growled. Amanda roughly set the ice pack on his leg, without a towel, so the ice cold would sting his exposed skin.

"Oohf!" Myles drew in a breath. "Hey."

"Look, Agent Leland, I'm very sorry." Mark shook his head smiling. "I had no intention of causing you all this trouble." Myles pursed his lips.

"Well, if that's your version, Doctor, you stick to it." He remarked.

"I, uh, hate to break up the fun," Steve cleared his throat, "but we should really get going. The chief wanted to have a word with you, Jack before you board your plane."

"Oh, all right." Jack nodded. Everyone shuffled out. When they reached the main entrance, they gave Delores one last goodbye and Bobby kissed her cheek.

"Come here, baby. Give me a little sugar." She smiled and knelt down to Levi's level. Sue nodded and Levi trotted over to the nurse, licking her face. Then he offered his paw, making her laugh. "Aww, I sure am gonna miss you."

"We'll miss you too." Sue said.

"Well, you've got my number and email." Lucy said.

"Yes, thank you." Delores stood up. "Bye. Bye, Levi." Levi panted and walked away with the team.

* * *

"You wanted to see us, Chief Masters?" Jack asked as he entered the captain's office with Steve, Sue, Bobby, Dimitrius, and Mark.

"Yes, Agent Hudson." Masters replied. He was standing behind Captain Newman's chair, which Newman was sitting in.

"So, you are leaving us today?" Newman asked with his hands folded and his glasses perched on his nose.

"Yes, sir. We are." Dimitrius replied.

"Agent Hudson, we would like to thank you again for all your help, and intelligent investigating in the apprehension of Jeffrey White." Masters said. "You helped us be able to put away a ruthless killer."

"Glad we could be of service." Bobby said seriously.

"And thank you especially for your full cooperation on the case." Newman added. "It made the job for us much more manageable."

"You're welcome." Sue said. "For us too. We were glad we were able to work together so effectively."

"Thank you again for all your help."

"You're more than welcome, Captain." Jack said. "But we certainly couldn't have done it without Dr. Sloan." He smiled. "If it wasn't for his brilliant deductive reasoning, we might never have been able to track White down." Mark grinned sheepishly and Steve smiled proudly at him.

"Yes, so I've heard." Newman sighed. Bobby squinted suspiciously at him.

"Miss Thomas, we're sorry for all the danger you and your friend were put through regarding this case." Masters said. "But we're glad you both are safe now."

"Me too!" Sue agreed, wide-eyed. "Thank you for helping find us."

"That's our job." Masters said formally, but with a slight smile. "Well, the least we can do is make sure you all catch your plane on time."

"That's okay, Chief," Mark waved him. "We'll be glad to drive them to the airport."

"Well, even so, Dr. Sloan, it'll be our pleasure to give you an escort." Masters remarked.

"Thanks." Dimitrius smiled. They shook hands with Newman then headed out to wait for Masters.

Right before they all walked to their vehicles, Mark cleared his throat loudly, demanding everyone's attention. "Hey, Jack?" He asked.

"Yes?" Jack perked his eyes up curiously. Steve, Amanda, and Jessie all stared at Mark suspiciously, he had that mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"If my car starts shooting sparks on the way to the airport, will you come to our rescue?" Mark smiled widely. Bobby and all the others snickered loudly. Jack's eyes widened as the reality hit him. They knew! Jack winced and smiled in embarrassment.

"So, you know about that, huh?" He asked sheepishly.

"Know about what?" Jessie asked eagerly.

"Are we missing something here?" Amanda asked suspiciously.

"So you don't deny it?" Steve teased his new good friend. Jack shook his head. "So, you wanna tell us all what drove you to dump a car in the Potomac?"

"You what?" Jessie gaped.

"I couldn't help it." Jack answered. "There were sparks shooting all over me."

"Uh-huh. A likely story." Steve grinned evilly. "I'm not buying it."

"Our source tells us there's more to what happened than that." Mark added.

"Yeah, go ahead and spill it, S _parky."_ Myles chimed in. "Go ahead. Tell them how you called it under the wrong frequency and every law enforcement agency in the city heard you." Jack covered his face while Steve and Mark laughed heartily along with Sue, Lucy, D, Tara, Bobby, Myles, and Amanda. Jessie was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. Levi barked, not wanting to be left out.

"If my memory serves me correctly, he said, " _I am on fire. There are sparks everywhere. I'm dumping it in the Potomac'!"_ Dimitrius chuckled. Jack couldn't remember his face turning so red in years.

"Aw, well, there's no need to feel bad," Steve spoke up, putting his arm around Jack, "at least you lived to tell about it... _Sparky."_

"One question: who told you guys?" Jack asked. They just grinned at each other but didn't say a word. Jack did, however with his highly trained FBI observant eyes, pick up on a subtle _A-okay_ sign exchanged between Mark and...Sue! Jack squinted at Sue who just shrugged innocently. "All right, all right. Well, the cat's out of the bag. What can I do?" Jack sighed.

"We'll just have to warn all the auto body shops around the country to be on the lookout any time Agent Sparky is in town." Amanda teased with her arms crossed. Jack rolled his eyes. Just then, as Chief Masters and Cheryl emerged out of the station, screeching tires could be heard. The team backed up against the cars as a sky blue car sped into the parking lot and shockingly came to a perfect halt in one of the parking spots.

"Whew!" Bobby whistled.

"Man, I hope that's a cop." Lucy said in a concerned voice. "Because if not, they just did a stupid thing tearing into a police parking lot!" Steve just sighed. Two tall women emerged from the vehicle, one with short light hair and the driver with shoulder length, sleek, jet dark hair. They met Cheryl and Chief Masters as they headed for the door.

"I don't pay you to wear out the rubber within a week, Lucas." Masters gazed blankly at the dark-haired woman.

"Well, what's a police car without battle scars to show for it?" The woman shrugged.

"See if you can get it through to her." Cheryl looked at the other woman.

"I've tried that for years." The short-haired woman said, shaking her head. "It's not like I've gotten very far." Then they approached Jack and his team.

"Let's get out of here!" Myles gasped, pulling on Dimitrius's arm. "The barracuda is on the trail."

"Hey, now. Wait a minute." Dimitrius teased. "I think this is someone Sue and Lucy should meet."

"Sue, Lucy, this is Detective Amy Devlin and Detective Taylor Lucas of the LAPD. They're in the vice department." Steve introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Sue smiled, signing as she said it. They both looked curiously at her.

"Devlin, Lucas? This is Lucy Dotson, and Agent Sue Thomas. They both work for the FBI, DC office." Steve said.

"Yeah, we met some of you before didn't we?" Amy asked.

"How could I forget?" Bobby answered.

"Yeah, the guys told us a lot about you." Lucy said.

"So, _you're_ the two gals that the White lunatic held up, huh?" Taylor asked, wide-eyed. "Well, it's good to see you both looking so good."

"Thank you. We think so too." Lucy smiled.

"Hey, aren't you the one who's deaf and can read lips?" Amy asked Sue.

"Mmm-hmm. This is Levi." Sue said. "He's my hearing dog."

"Hi, fella." Taylor smiled and knelt down, ruffling his fur. Levi panted, offering his paw. "Aren't you just the cutest thing ever? Too bad the rest of the guys around here don't take after you." She stood up, eying Steve and the agents with a teasing look.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you." Lucy said. "But I'm afraid we have to go. We have a plane to catch."

"Too bad." Amy smiled. "Well, have a safe trip."

"Thanks." Tara smiled.

"How do you say, 'see you later', in sign language?" Taylor asked. Sue raised two fingers up near her eyebrow then lowered her hand, pointing her index finger. Amy and Taylor repeated it. "Well, see you later." They smiled then left.

"What are you so scared about, Myles?" Amanda teased. "They look pretty harmless to me." Mark, Amanda, Jessie, and now the FBI guys all knew how bizarre and unpredictable Detective Lucas could be.

"That's the dangerous thing about female cops." Myles gulped.

"I'm afraid I _have_ to agree with you on this one." Jessie nodded. Myles looked down at the little doctor with a wry smile.

* * *

The drive to the airport happened too quickly. Too soon they were inside making arrangements. "Well, I need to get back." Chief Masters announced. "Agent Hudson? Thank you."

"Sure." Jack nodded. "Any time."

"Only next time, we'll see to it that you don't go running around as a hit man." Masters joked.

"Right!" Jack grinned with a cringe. After saying good-bye to the rest of them, Masters and Cheryl both left.

"Now, remember, Jack," Jessie said, "don't go back on the streets too soon. And be sure to follow up with your personal physician when you get home."

"Don't worry about me." Jack shook his head.

"We're serious," Mark said firmly.

"I know. And thanks." Jack said.

"Well, looks like our luggage is all intact." Lucy stated as she appeared with Bobby and Tara.

"Well, if it gets left behind, we'll be happy to send it back." Amanda said.

"Hey, now don't forget now!" Jessie announced, looking at Lucy. "I'm still gonna invent a brand new dish at BBQ Bob's and dedicate it to you." Lucy smiled.

"Thanks, little fella." She said.

"Just when were you gonna discuss it with me?" Steve asked Jessie. Jessie ignored him.

"Well, our flight leaves in about 10 minutes." Dimitrius said. "They'll be calling us anytime."

"You've got our numbers and emails," Amanda said.

"Yep." Tara smiled. "If we can ever help you guys out again, give us a call."

"You too."

"Hey, Doc? And uh, Steve? If you ever decide to quit what you do here and move up in the world, you can always get a recommendation at the bureau." Bobby smiled.

"Oh, thanks." Mark shook his head. "But I think I'll stick with what I know." The overhead intercom announced that their flight would be taking off within seven minutes. Mark's face dropped a little, as did everyone else's.

"Well, I guess this is where we say good-bye." Sue sighed heavily.

"I guess." Dimitrius said and shook their hands. "Dr. Sloan? Thanks for all your help. Made a huge difference for everybody."

"Oh, happy to help." Mark smiled. "Agent Leland, I hope I didn't bang you up too much."

"Next time, I won't be so cordial about it." Myles said sarcastically. "If your name had been Howie Fines, I would've taken my gun and shot you."

" _That_ was cordial?" Amanda asked lowly to Jessie, but everyone heard it and agreed.

"Well, Sloan? You ever decide to visit us big boys, you come to the shooting range with us and I'll teach you how to really shoot." Myles said to Steve.

"I'll, uh, keep your offer in mind." Steve said back. Amanda shared a hug with Sue, Tara, and Lucy.

"It's gonna be pretty dull without you all here." Amanda said.

"Oh, I don't know." Lucy cocked her head. "What with these three gentlemen always getting themselves into trouble? You keep in touch and tell us all about it. Keep things from getting dull around the FBI."

"Oh, I can't believe that." Jessie said. Then the girls gave each other a real hug.

" _Hey, keep me informed about the scoop on Sue and Jack, okay?"_ Amanda whispered to Lucy who smirked, but Sue had read her lips and bit her lip. Lucy nodded.

"What'd she say?" Tara leaned in toward Sue. Sue cleared her throat.

"Gonna miss you, girl." Lucy said.

"You too." Amanda said.

"Hey, what about me?" Jessie asked with a pout. Lucy rolled her eyes and gave him a hug. Tara gave him a friendly nudge. Sue gave him a brief hug.

"And Levi says he's gonna miss you too." She smiled. "You come to DC and I'll let you take him for a run in the park."

"Thanks!" Jessie exclaimed. "Aw, I'm gonna miss you too, Buddy. Here you go." He reached into his pocket and slipped the dog a cookie. Levi licked his face after eating the delicacy, then Amanda also knelt down to mush over him one more time.

"Jack? It's been good working with you." Steve smiled, shaking Jack's hand.

"Me too." Jack replied. "Maybe we'll see you again, only under more pleasant circumstances."

"Let's hope so. You guys are good. You're the best."

"Thanks. You're pretty savvy yourself."

"It's true. You guys are the best." Steve said firmly.

"Well, it's just like your chief said when we first arrived," Jack answered, "this isn't about us: it's about the victims and their families and getting them justice."

"Right." Steve agreed, smiling. "And looks like together we accomplished that."

"You, uh, try to keep an eye on him and keep him in line." Bobby spoke to Jessie, tilting his head toward Steve who rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I'll try." Jessie smirked.

"And, thanks for taking care of my hand. You keep those ribs going!" Bobby commanded Jessie. "I'd hate to see good grub like that go to waste."

"No worries." Jessie said cheerily. "BBQ Bob's is a timeless legend."

"Kind of like Dr. Sloan, eh?" Jack grinned.

"But, really. You're not so bad, short stuff." Bobby smiled at Jessie.

"Hey." Jessie moaned.

"Steve, gonna miss ya, mate." Bobby said, firmly taking his hand in his bandaged one.

"Yeah, don't believe I'll forget you in a big hurry either." Steve teased, and Bobby tightened his squeeze on his hand. Both men grunted, showing their teeth, trying to outdo each other in their short arm wrestle.

"Boys, if you break each other's arms, you're gonna miss your flight, Bobby." Mark chuckled. Both guys just let go.

"Don't forget, Doc." Bobby said, "You ever change your mind, the offer at the bureau still stands!" Mark just laughed. The overhead intercom announced that their flight was five minutes away from leaving.

"Mark, we'll see you around, I'm sure." Jack said.

"It'll give me a chance to do some follow up work and see how you're doing." Mark smiled, then he leaned in toward him and whispered. _"Take_ _good_ _care of her, Jack."_ Jack's eyes widened but he slowly nodded.

" _Thanks."_ He whispered back. _"I will."_

"I...I don't know what to say." Steve gulped as he struggled to say good-bye to Tara.

"You're good at what you do." Tara spoke up. "It was fun. Err...not that catching a vicious killer is fun, but...I enjoyed spending time with you, working with you." Steve smiled sadly. "Look, you're a great guy. Really." Tara said sympathetically. "You're smart, funny... _handsome."_ Steve blushed. "You're thoughtful. Maybe some day the right girl will come along. And when she does, if you need a recommendation, you can count on me! I'd be happy to vouch for you."

"Thanks." Steve hung his head. How he wished he could have met Tara first, before that Stanley Abbott guy had. Why was it that guys like Stanley Abbott ended up the lucky ones, and Steve Sloan? Well, he always ended up on the unlucky list. Tara reached out and gave him a warm hug. Steve bit his lip and returned it.

"I'll miss you." Tara smiled wryly. Steve hoped he didn't look as wretched as he felt.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too." He whispered, then lightly kissed her cheek. Levi walked over to him as Tara gently broke away and walked away. Levi touched Steve's leg with his paw. Steve stared down at him and rubbed his head. "Thanks, bud." He whispered.

"If you ever work with Adam Kinsey again, will you tell him Amanda Bentley says, ' _hello, it's great to meet you,'_ and have him write down an autograph for me?" Amanda begged.

" _Why?"_ Myles asked rudely. The girls ignored him.

"Sure." Tara and Lucy answered.

"I'm glad we got to become friends." Sue said to Mark.

"Oh, me too. You're an amazing young lady. I hope you know that." Mark said.

"Thank you. You're one remarkable man." Sue replied.

"Thanks." Then he spoke to her silently, letting her read his lips. _"Remember that sometimes, the transparent words in the eyes need to be spoken."_

"I will." Sue whispered. She glanced back at her friends. Jack raised his eyebrows to signal her it was time to go. Mark and Sue gazed warmly at each other then shared a fond embrace. Levi stood up and joined them.

"Oh, don't worry! I won't forget you, Levi!" Mark chuckled. "You watch over Sue, okay?" Levi barked happily. "And, see if you can keep an eye on Jack, will you?" Levi panted.

Sue signed, _'see ya later',_ which Mark returned. "Well...good-bye." Sue said almost tearfully.

"Good-bye, Sue." Mark answered.

"Steve?" Sue asked softly, coming up to him.

"Oh," He turned to face her. "Hey."

"Thank you for everything you did, you're a good friend." Sue touched his shoulder.

"Oh, well...sure. Any time. That's what I'm here for." Steve smiled. "You guys keep us informed, okay?"

"Don't worry. Your dad and I exchanged emails." Sue laughed. "Hope it's not too long before we see you again."

"Right." Steve grinned. He hesitated, but briefly kissed her cheek. "Well, have a safe flight."

"Thanks." Sue smiled warmly.

"Thanks for all your help." Jack said again.

"You too." Mark answered.

"Lt. Sloan?" Lucy perked up at Steve and heartily shook his hand. "Good job." She said.

"Thank you. I think so too." Steve said sarcastically. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"And, thanks for helping rescue me." Lucy whispered.

"No problem." Steve smiled.

It was difficult for the team to walk away, but they couldn't miss their flight. They all waved endlessly to each other till Jack and his band of agents were out of sight. They all watched outside the window, hoping to see a last glimpse of their new but sealed friends before they were gone. "Who would've thought that such a grisly case could bring such great people together?" Amanda asked wistfully.

"Who indeed?" Mark added.

"Sure am gonna miss them." Jessie said.

A couple minutes later, they saw their friends in the distance, boarding the plane. Mark, Steve, Jessie, and Amanda waved toward them though they were too faraway to notice. Soon, the plane was taking off. Everyone was sad, and even shed a few tears to see Jack, Sue, Levi, Lucy, Tara, Bobby, Dimitrius, and even Myles depart, but they had given each other contact info and had every intention of keeping those promises.

They waved as the plane began departure on the runway. Just when the plane lifted its feet off the ground, a noisy crowd behind the foursome gathered together. Amanda glanced behind them to see what all the commotion was about. She gasped. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed with her hands covering her mouth.

"What is it?" Jessie asked turning his head.

"Do you know who that is?!" Amanda blurted out. "It's him! It's Adam Kinsey! That's him! That's Adam Kinsey!"

"Who is Adam Kinsey?" Jessie asked.

"JESSIE! Adam Kinsey in _Final Flight?!_ You know, the _'I don't follow the rules, I make them'_ line guy?"

"Oh! That guy. No way!" Jessie's jaw dropped. Sure enough, a glamorous blonde-haired guy-though his hair was not neatly combed-was swamped by press agents and several bug-eyed on lookers. He smiled wistfully as he tried to answer their questions. "Wow." Jessie remarked.

"I'm gonna try to get his autograph!" Amanda jumped excitedly. "Wait till I tell Lucy before she even gets back home!" Jessie shook his head and gazed back out the window.

"So long, guys. Have fun and come back soon." He said wistfully.

Steve didn't pay any attention whatsoever to the noise behind him or who it was. His eyes were on the plane and the passengers it was carrying. Mark also gazed after it. The people on that aircraft had become quite dear to him, even though they'd only known each other for a short while. It took special kinds of people to do that, and Sue and Jack along with their friends were those kinds of people. "You're gonna miss her, son." Mark said sympathetically, standing next to Steve.

"I'll live." Steve muttered. In his heart, he knew Tara would never become his girl, but she was one he wouldn't forget too soon. He wished things could've be different, but he would still the have good memories of a woman who was genuine and amazing, and also the time he got to spend working with her. "But...yeah, I'm gonna miss her."

* * *

Sue and the team found their preferred seats in the class they had been given and made themselves comfortable. "Ahh, home! There's no place on earth like it." Myles said dramatically as he reared his head back on his seat. Soon the plane was in gear and they were on their way. As it zoomed down the runway, Sue looked out the window, gazing at what she could see of the airport building, and though they were too far away to see her, she waved one last goodbye to her new, dear friends. A few stray tears streamed down from her eyes. She and the others would miss them.

"This was a trip I'll never forget." Lucy stated to Bobby. "It was full of intrigue, mystery, adventure, and lots of danger. Oh, I can't wait to sleep back in my own bed!"

"You know, you can learn a lot from a man like Dr. Sloan." Bobby said. "He's inspired me to try some new endeavors. And I have every full intention of keeping up the chatter with Steve as we go on with our lives."

"So do I." Lucy said.

"I don't think he's gonna forgive you for the male torture you put him through though." Bobby eyed her teasingly. Lucy just smirked.

"You're already using your computer?" Dimitrius asked Tara.

"I'm letting Stanley know that I am on my way back home, and that my adventure was more exciting than his assignment." Tara said casually.

"I'll just bet it was." Dimitrius looked away, snickering.

"It was quite a trip, huh, Levi?" Sue looked down at Levi. He panted as she caressed his head. They were both glad to be together, safely on their way home after their terrible separation and nearly losing each other forever. "Yeah, I'm glad to be with you too." Jack lightly touched her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"Coffee?" He offered. He was holding a steaming Styrofoam cup of it in his hand.

"No, thanks. I'm good." Sue responded, smiling. Jack smiled back.

"Seat taken?"

"No." Sue shook her head. Jack sat down next to her and sipped his hot beverage. "It'll be nice to be back, won't it?"

"Yes." Sue nodded. "Very much."

"They're really nice people, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they are. Gonna miss them."

"Me too." Jack sighed. "But I don't think it's the last we'll ever hear from them! I've just got a feeling." Sue giggled at his exclamation. Though they'd only known Mark, Steve, and the others for a short while, they had become dear friends. It took special kinds of people to do that, and the Sloans with their friends were that kind of people.

"Is it wishful thinking or is this an instinctive recurring feeling?"

"Mph, I guess a little bit of both." Jack chuckled. Sue laughed and pet Levi. Jack gazed at her thoughtfully till she looked up at him again.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"I just wanted you to know..." Jack said slowly. "I'm glad you're okay." Sue smiled warmly at him and her eyes felt hot with approaching tears. Jack had always been kind with his comfort when he was trying to encourage her, but there was something almost different about it this time. Sue couldn't exactly describe it, but there was definitely a different manner and feel in it that Sue could strongly sense. Was...was that his way of trying to say...that he actually _loved_ her?

Instead of saying, ' _I know'_ like she usually did, Sue answered with a sweet, "Thank you." She leaned back in her chair with a fond, faraway look. Jack slightly hesitated, but only slightly, then slowly reached out his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. Normally, Sue would've stared at him wide-eyed in awkward silence, but...not this time. This time, she just settled back in her seat, perfectly relaxed. They were all going home, safely...and together!


	30. Chapter 30 Stay Tuned!

**Well, this is it: the final chapter! Thank you so much to Snowgirl01, and others who have enjoyed it and begged me for more chapters. When I first started posting this story, I wasn't even sure what all it was going to contain though I knew the gist of what I wanted. But God helped me and it came together nicely. I had so much fun writing this story, and I hope to write more down the road! I have _never_ written a fanfic story this long with this many chapters before! Ever! Thank you, everyone for your support and reviews.**

* * *

"Hey, _guys?"_ Lucy chuckled and raised her eyebrows as she read the message on her phone. All the guys looked up uneasily. Lucy was using _the tone_ again. "Adam Kinsey says hi."

"Oh." Jack muttered.

"Well, actually," Lucy corrected herself, "Amanda told him who she was and that she knew us, and he told her to say to us, _'Don't shoot the messenger.'"_ The guys all just rolled their eyes.

* * *

"Jessie! _What_ is this?" Steve huffed, shoving an 8x10 photo into Jessie's face. They were in the back kitchen at BBQ Bob's.

"Oh, it came, huh?" Jessie smiled, looking at the picture. "Great." He slapped it and headed toward the dining area.

"Jess, what is this...this _concoction_ you whipped up?" Steve asked gruffly.

"Our new special, buddy." Jessie said casually.

" _What_ new special? I didn't hear anything about a special!"

"Sure you did. When I told Lucy I'd come up with a dish to serve here in her honor. Weren't you even listening?"

"I was preoccupied at the time." Steve sighed, remembering that he'd been too wrapped up in gloom having to say good-bye to Tara. He still felt a bit down when he thought of how far away she was now.

" _Yeah."_ Jessie teased.

"That's beside the point." Steve spoke up again. "What exactly is this called?"

"I call it the Dotson Lu salad." Jessie said dramatically.

"What salad? It looks like a bunch of scraps thrown together. I don't see any lettuce in it!"

"Right there. See? Those little green, scrunchy strands?"

"Uh-huh. It says here, that it includes curry chicken tenders, shaved steamed vegetables, and rice." Steve explained dryly. "And gracefully layered with Teriyaki sauce!"

"Exactly." Jessie shrugged.

"Jessie, that's a _Chinese_ dish!" Steve declared in exasperation.

"That's why it's called a special." Jessie replied cooly.

"Jess, in case you've suddenly suffered from amnesia, this is a BBQ joint the last time I checked. You don't cross-match palette cultures here!" Steve exclaimed. "It's against nature."

"Steve, come on." Jessie said innocently. "Look around you." They'd entered the dining area. "Look at all Lucy has done for us. I mean, the framed origin story on the wall: everybody reads it when they first come in. And I haven't seen one of them leave once they have learned of where we started."

"Not _yet."_ Steve rolled his eyes.

"And that slogan she came up with!" Jessie's eyes lit up. "Works like magic! In fact, it's put us not only in the headlines, but also on the map."

"What map?" Steve asked.

"The internet." Jessie explained. "Now when you type in recommended food joints in LA, guess who is in the top six of this area!"

"All right," Steve rubbed his temples. "Granted, she's pretty inspirational. But that still doesn't explain why you came up with an egg fu young mess of all things to disown us. I mean, look at that mess. It doesn't even look appetizing! You sure you didn't steal this? Why couldn't you have dreamed up something more imaginative? Like...a dessert?"

"Maybe put it on the dessert menu?" Jessie asked timidly, trying to hide his teasing smile. He sure did enjoy pushing Steve's buttons.

"Ohhh!" Steve groaned.

* * *

The team had been back in DC for five days now and quickly dove back into the swing of things. Jack was allowed to come back to work, but after an appointment with his personal physician and his cardiologist, he was to avoid raids for at least two more weeks. Lucy was still a bit edgy, but being back at home and in their familiar, welcoming bullpen environment, Sue noticed that Lucy was quickly improving. She sat down for longer periods of time, and started asking less about where Sue was going every time she left the room. Ted was relieved to being personally working with his team again. The team all missed their new friends back in the sunny state and kept up their correspondance, but all in all, it was so good to be back home!

Lucy looked up at Bobby as he hobbled into the bullpen toward his desk. Tara also noticed that he was limping, and stared at him curiously. "Morning." Tara greeted.

"Ladies," Bobby politely nodded, but gritted his teeth. He finally made it to his desk and let out a large sigh of relief as he plopped down into his chair. Levi trotted happily over to him. "Hey there, mate." Bobby smiled and rubbed his pal's ears.

"Don't tell me you're still suffering from a touch of overdue jet lag." Myles quipped.

"Nah." Bobby casually shook his head.

"Hey, you forgot this." Jack grinned as he entered and tossed a cane to the Aussie who quickly gripped it and shoved it behind his chair.

"A cane?" Myles curiously raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, what's this all about?" Lucy asked sneakily, rising from her seat, so did Sue, Tara, and Dimitrius.

"Nothing." Bobby said quickly, trying to avoid the issue.

"Oh? It's not every day an FBI agent walks into his work place with a bum leg." Lucy stated.

"Didn't you hear?" Dimitrius spoke up cheerfully.

"Hear what?" Sue asked.

"Jack and Bobby car-pooled this morning. Seems that Agent Crash decided to try his wings at roller-skating through his apartment building." Dimitrius said smugly.

"You what?" Lucy snickered.

"Did he say you were roller-skating?" Sue added. Bobby just stared down at his legs.

"He was coming down the hall yesterday when he crashed into the apartment manager!" Jack teased, obviously enjoying himself.

"Oh, you didn't!" Tara's eyes widened.

"Did he really?" Sue and Lucy gaped.

"I was just trying to see if I could cut down on pressure time getting around on wheels instead of being a flatfoot." Bobby said defensively. "Thought it might come in handy when chasing bad guys, you know?

"Oh, and if that's not enough," Dimitrius continued, "the manager is suing him for two hundred dollars. Apparently, he didn't see the humor in the situation."

"Well, speaking personally for someone who has his own battle scars which speak for themselves, I don't blame the poor, victimized manager at all." Myles said dramatically.

" _So,_ Crash here decides to take the back halls that aren't so well traveled." Jack spoke up. "And he was doing beautifully, till he took a wide turn right before a flight of stairs!"

"Oh! Are you okay?" Sue asked Bobby.

"Ah, sure. It's nothing, ya know. Just a..." Bobby shrugged.

"Just a twisted, bruised, and swollen ankle." Jack smirked with his arms folded.

"You shouldn't even be here." Lucy said.

"Oh, it'll go away in a few days." Bobby protested.

"Well, I _really_ don't think skidding on wheels is your thing." Tara commented. "I wouldn't try it again if I were you."

"Well, look at the bright side, _Crash."_ Myles remarked. "When we christened you into our little family, we chose a name that really suits you." Bobby glared.

"All right, can we just get to work?" He grumbled.

"I suppose Jack knew what he was talking about when he said that you earned every letter of it." Sue joked and Bobby pouted for sympathy. Jack smirked at her and they shared a fist bump.

"See? I was right after all." Myles said proudly.

"About _what?"_ Everyone asked cautiously.

"I told you that Doctor Sloan was a bad influence!" Myles answered in a know-it-all tone.

"Just be glad Howie wasn't there!" Jack interjected and everyone laughed...except Myles, who cringed and groaned painfully.

* * *

Jeffrey White's trial was very speedy, with all the clear evidence, testimonies, and his full, unlamented confession brought to the court's attention. The verdict was unanimous. "Is it true?" Amanda asked Mark as he entered the doctor's lounge. She and Jessie had been watching the news on television. Mark listened to the report before replying.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is." Mark sighed heavily, grabbing a cup of coffee. "Jeffrey White was executed last night."

"Well, I'm sure a lot of women's families aren't too sorry to see him gone." Jessie remarked quietly.

"Not to mention the law enforcement." Amanda added. Mark nodded in agreement.

"I'll say." Steve's voice spoke up as he stepped in. "The press has been after us ever since he was captured, and they're still trying to weasel the FBI agents' names out of us. I'm just letting Chief Masters handle it."

"Mph." Amanda grunted. "You know, it's a real shame about what caused White to do what he did." She remarked wistfully.

"Oh, I know!" Mark agreed solemnly. "Wish things could've turned out differently."

"Yeah. Women can drive you nuts." Jessie remarked casually.

"Ahem!" Amanda grunted loudly. "You know, there are times you fellows drive us crazy too!"

"If only White hadn't chosen the wrong path." Mark said.

"Aw, come on, guys." Steve grumbled. "After all the grime he caused, I wouldn't feel too sorry for him. It's not like people didn't try to reach out to him. Some people you can't help until they ask for it."

"You're right, Steve." Mark said sadly. "I just wish someone could've helped him."

* * *

 **2 Weeks Later**

Jack and Sue were driving back to the office after questioning a witness. It was a cloudy, humid day and they were currently passing through one of the nice neighborhoods. Sue just looked out the window, observing the familiar streets of DC, noticing the many different people, and wondering what each one's own personal life story contained in uniqueness. Even Levi contentedly gazed around at the familiar streets. Jack, however, was very silent, and just kept driving along. Then his ears picked up on a song playing from the radio. He only slightly recognized the voice, but it was the lyrics that grabbed his attention:

" _ **...**_ _ **And the sun stopped shining**_

 _ **And it rained all the time**_

 _ **Did set me back some**_

 _ **But I made it through**_

 _ **But I'll never get over losing you."**_

Jack listened very closely, struggling to keep his eyes on where he was driving, but he hung onto the song as it continued.

" _ **Do you know, I love you**_

 _ **Do you remember me**_

 _ **Should've told you**_

 _ **Cause it's true**_

 _ **I get over losing anything**_

 _ **But I'll never get over**_

 _ **Losing you."**_

Jack suddenly felt a heavy, scalding pain in his heart, only it wasn't from the physical damage he had received back in LA, courtesy of Jeffrey White. It ran much deeper, but hurt much worse.

" _ **But I know**_

 _ **That I don't have time to wait**_

 _ **And I'll never get over**_

 _ **Losing you.**_

 _ **I guess most of my dreams have come true**_

 _ **With it all here around me**_

 _ **No peace do I find**_

 _ **Cause I'll never get over losing you**_

 _ **No I'll never get over losing you."**_

Sue glanced over at Jack and was greatly taken aback to see that he had tears in his eyes! Debating whether she should give him a moment or try to console him, she then thought that maybe his previous injuries were flaring up again. "Jack? Are...are you okay?" Sue asked gently.

Jack gritted his teeth. "I..." He gulped.

"Are you hurting? Do you need some of your pain medication?" Sue asked worriedly.

"N-no. It's not that." Jack grunted, but he couldn't weep and properly drive the car in a safe direction. He pulled the car over to a curb and drew in a deep breath. Sue watched him closely, and his body language was startling her.

"Jack! Are you all right?" She asked again. "Do you need me to call for help?"

"No, I'm fine. Really." Jack shook his head and bit his lip to try to get his bearings. He turned off the car motor. Sue could sense a sudden, overwhelming urge of something incredible about to happen, only she was afraid that Jack was in the stages of having another heart attack. She pulled out her cell phone, preparing to dial for help when Jack firmly gripped her wrist and pulled her arm down from her ear.

"Jack, I think you really need help." Sue said sadly.

"Sue, no. I have to tell you something." Jack said seriously. His eyes were filled with ache, and Sue braced herself for whatever it was he was about to tell her.

"I'm listening." Sue said softly. _If you're leaving the bureau, Jack, because of health issues, please,_ _ **PLEASE**_ _promise you'll stay around here so we can see you! So...we can be together!_ Sue thought to herself.

"You remember us explaining how we found you when Jeffrey White was holding you and Lucy hostage?" Jack began, having trouble getting these words out. Those moments were painful for him to relive. Sue nodded and Jack tried to continue. "Sue, I...when I saw you lying there in that picture, and we all gave you up for dead, I..." Jack choked and Sue read his lips intently, "I...I felt like the best thing in my whole life was gone...forever! And I would never get it back! I thought it was over. There...there have been so..." Jack gulped hard and Sue gently touched his hand with hers, just like so many times in the past. "There have been so may things that I've always wanted to tell you, always wanted to say to _you,_ and when I thought you were gone forever, I felt so wrung with guilt for being silent instead of saying the things I should've a long time ago!"

"Things?" Sue raised her eyebrows. Her heart started racing, but she tried to convince herself that Jack was only going to greatly compliment her on what a good friend she had been to him, though in reality her heart yearned for him to say more than that! "What things do you mean?" She asked as calmly as she could.

"Just this." Jack hung his head. "I...I'm sorry this isn't the elaborate, attractive way I'd always planned, but...I can't hold it back anymore." Then Jack held his head erect and gazed directly into her soft brown eyes. "I love you." He said confidently.

Sue stared at him wide-eyed, and though she couldn't hear a thing, she could easily feel her pounding heartbeat sensation that vibrated through her chest and ears. She blinked and began to hyperventilate. _Did he...did he just say...did he say what..._ her thoughts raced in a million different directions. "W-what?" She squeaked. It was the only thing she could get to come out of her mouth. "What did you say?"

"I _love you."_ Jack whispered, with tears in his eyes.

Sue gasped and didn't realize that she was shivering. "Y-you...you do?" She whimpered excitedly with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, I do." Jack nodded. "I know I'm no door-prize, and I'm no super agent. I'm not a global box-office Casanova. I don't have much to offer, but...Sue Thomas, I love you, more than I can put into words. And...should anything happen to one of us again, I didn't want it to go by this time without you knowing that I will always care about you, that I will always love you. I know I've been a jerk at times, but..." Sue cut him off. She was laughing and weeping at the same time.

"Oh, no! No, no," Sue whimpered. "Jack, you...you're the finest man I've ever met. You have a heart of gold that, that storybook celebrities can only portray. I'd never trade you for any of them." Sue gulped hard to choke down the tears, then she looked directly at him and signed with her fingers as she murmured, "I love you too!"

Jack's heart overflowed with an electrical, warming surge that he'd never, ever felt before not even when he'd first met Sue. He smiled widely, the smile that Sue adored. And to him, she had never looked more radiant, not even back at the beach at Dr. Sloan's house! Jack gripped her hands firmly and brought them up to his face and kissed the top of them. Sue smiled so happily. Then Jack released her hands and reached down into his pocket. He pulled out a small blue jewelry box and opened it. Sue's heart skipped a beat: it was a gorgeous, glimmering golden, diamond ring! Sue covered her mouth with her hands and Levi eagerly wagged his tail. He barked enthusiastically. "Oh, Jack!" Sue's eyes bugged out.

"This isn't the way I'd always planned," Jack chuckled, "but, Susan Thomas? Will you marry me?" He asked earnestly.

Sue sobbed and laughed heartily. She brushed her strands of long, blonde hair from her face and sniffled to get a grip on herself. Then she held her head erect and clearly spoke. "Yes." She murmured. "Yes! I would be honored, and very proud to be your wife...Jack Hudson." Sue said passionately, her smile gleaming brightly. Jack thought he would explode, and his heart actually did give him palpitations.

"Th-thank you." He smiled and gently slipped the ring onto Sue's finger. It was a perfect fit. Sue was beside herself as she gazed at the thoughtful gift. Levi thundered into rapturous barking.

"Oh, Jack. It's beautiful." Sue sighed. "Thank you." Then Jack did something he'd never done before. He outstretched his arms, freely offering them to her. Sue sniffled again and buried herself into his embrace. It was unlike anything they'd ever felt before!

When they broke away after what seemed like an eternity, Jack whispered. "Someone once told me that sometimes we just have to take initiative and step up to the plate." Sue nodded.

"Someone once told me that the words you can read through each other sometimes just need to be said." She agreed. Jack grinned. He had a pretty good guess of who that someone had been, remembering with fondness the jovial, wise, but eccentric doctor with the twinkling blue eyes. After another wondrous hug, Sue asked, "Did Lucy know about this?"

"No." Jack shook his head. "She didn't know a thing!"

"Are you serious?" Sue raised her eyebrows.

"I would've gladly told her," Jack explained defensively. "It sure would've made this a whole lot easier." Sue giggled at his remark. "But you know Lucy, she would've tipped you off."

"She'll never forgive you." Sue teased.

"Hey, what's the worst that can happen?" Jack shrugged casually. He took her to a special restaurant to celebrate.

When the two of them returned to the office, Jack and Sue walked inside hand in hand. Everyone noticed it and stared. Levi was barking. Then Jack stole his arm around Sue's shoulder, but before he could even speak, Sue held up her left hand, showing off the ring and Lucy? Lucy screamed _**"YES!"**_ at the top of her lungs, jumping out of her seat.

"NO WAY!" Bobby exclaimed and everyone gathered around their favorite couple who had now made it official. This was an epic moment they'd all been living for! They all celebrated that night at Sue and Lucy's apartment with all their dear friends including Charlie, Lucy's grandmother Alice, Amanda with her dad and Togo, and many others.

* * *

"Agh!" Mark stewed in frustration, for the sixth time. His shoulders sagged. Steve walked into the den.

"Still trying your new phone?" Steve asked. "Haven't you figured that thing out yet?"

"Call me 'old school' all you like, but I personally prefer the good old fashioned cell phone." Mark sighed. "It has the numbers and the people you want to talk to..."

"And those you don't want to talk to," Steve quipped.

"I just can't understand this text-messaging gadget for the life of me."

"It's very simple, Dad." Steve smirked. Mark held up his hand in a halting motion.

"And if you don't mind, right now I'd prefer not having it explained to me." He said, then his phone rang. "Mark Sloan." Mark answered.

"Hello, Mark? This is Sue Thomas." Sue responded softly on the other end.

"Sue?!" Mark gasped. "Well, hello! How are you?"

"Oh, great. _Couldn't_ be better." Sue murmured.

"Glad to hear it. How's Jack?"

"Good, he's doing great. Much better than when we first got back here."

"That's good news."

"Yes." Sue agreed. "Oh, and I have some news for _you."_

"Oh?" Mark raised his eyebrows.

"I said yes." Sue smiled.

Mark furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, then gaped. "You...you? He..." He asked. Sue giggled. "Oh, Sue! That is wonderful! Congratulations!" Mark beamed.

"Thanks."

"Have you set the date yet?" Mark inquired.

"No, not yet. But don't worry, we will." Sue replied. "It's such a whole, new world. I've never experienced anything like this before. And thank _you,_ Mark, for all your help in steering us in the right direction."

"Oh," Mark chuckled. "It was my pleasure. I hope I wasn't too meddlesome."

"Not at all!" Sue interjected. "We appreciate your counsel."

"Are you happy, honey?"

" _Very_ happy." Sue answered.

"I'm so glad." Mark said. "Oh, and Steve says hi."

"And Levi says hello too." Sue smiled. "I just wanted to share with you the good news."

"Yes. Well, good-bye, honey. Tell Jack we said hi and congratulate him for us!"

"I will." Sue nodded. "Stay tuned for more details."

"You can count on it." Mark agreed, then they ended their conversation. Steve was gazing at him curiously.

"Well, that was a very enlightening phone call." He said sarcastically.

"It was Sue Thomas." Mark smiled widely.

"Oh?" Steve feigned surprise.

"Steve, Jack and..."

" _Jack and Sue_ are engaged now." Steve finished for him. Mark frowned.

"How did you find out?" He asked in resignation.

" _Dad!"_ Steve rolled his eyes. "Where have you been? That's all Lucy and Amanda have talked about for days!" Mark stared at the ceiling sheepishly. Then he walked out towards the kitchen, silently fiddling with his fingers. "Oh, Dad. Please, not again!" Steve begged. Mark may not have been able to deduce how to properly use a new text-message phone, but since Sue left, he had definitely been brushing up on his Sign Language! And lately he'd been doing it whenever Steve said something that made Mark frown, but Steve could never understand what he was saying, which bugged him. Steve followed Mark into the foyer from the kitchen. "I _know_ you're talking about me, Dad!" Steve emphasized.

"I'm just having a very interesting conversation with myself." Mark cocked his head casually. Steve squinted suspiciously and twirled his index finger in one sign he did know: crazy. Then Mark went off again. Steve reared his head back in secret amusement but visible annoyance.

"What am I gonna do with him?" He shook his head, snickering.

* * *

 **THE END**

 **Okay! There it is, all finished! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I had writing it. Not bragging, but it is one of my personal favorites of the ones I've written. The song is _Losing You_ by Randy Newman. Hope to do more of these. Have one in mind, just so you know! Again, thank you all very, very much for liking and reading this story from beginning to end! It's been quite an undertaking from when I first started it. And stay tuned for a continuance once I get the next one rolling! **

**Blessings, Mustard Lady**


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